Bonn disarm Unicaja in Malaga, will face Hapoel Jerusalem in the BCL final / News - Basketnews.com

German league leaders Telekom Baskets Bonn's success story continues, as Tuomas Iisalo's squad beat hosts Unicaja Malaga in the BCL semi-final and will claim the trophy in Sunday's final vs. Hapoel Jerusalem.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

In the second semi-final of the BCL Final Four, two newcomers clashed, as hosts Unicaja Malaga took on Telekom Baskets Bonn.

The two best offenses in the competition squared off, with Malaga scoring 117.5 points per 100 possessions averaging 20.8 assists in the process, and Bonn scoring 116.1 points per 100 possessions. However, the game that decided the second finalist of Sunday's big final wasn't ruled by offensive firepower.

Bonn took the win by 69-67 (22-22, 19-9, 16-19, 12-17), making their maiden European final game. TJ Shorts scored 21 points (5/13 FG, 10/13 FT, 7 AST, 3 TO) for the winning side, while Javontae Hawkins and Finn Delany added 13 apiece.

Kendrick Perry produced 12 points for Unicaja (3/12 FG, 4/4 FT, 4 REB, 7 AST, 3 TO), but missed what could have been the game-winning shot. Melvin Ejim and Dario Brizuela contributed 12 points each.

Bonn, who will face Hapoel Jerusalem in Sunday's title decider, forced Unicaja to go 7/34 (21%) from behind the arc, a significant drop compared to their season average of 37%. With the exception of the first eight minutes, the ACB side struggled on the offensive end and couldn't get close enough when Tuomas Iisalo's squad took over.

This is the first time since 2018 that no Spanish team makes the BCL final and also the second time in BCL history that the host team of the Final Four doesn't make the title game. Telenet Giants Antwerp failed to qualify in 2019, losing to Virtus Bologna.

Tenerife in 2017 and AEK Athens in 2018 and 2020 qualified for the final game, with the hosts lifting the silverware on the first two occasions.

Unicaja got off on the right foot, leading by nine (20-11) after the first seven minutes, largely thanks to Dario Brizuela's scoring. However, it didn't take Bonn too long to bounce back and ride a big partial score of 4-20 that brought them up by seven (24-31). Kendrick Perry ended the hosts' slump with a contested 3-point shot.

Javontae Hawkins, TJ Shorts and Finn Delany combined for 30 of their team's 41 points in the first half against an opponent that seemed unable to respond. Thus, Bonn gradually increased their advantage to 12 (36-48), but Malaga didn't give up. Dylan Osetkowski closed the gap (50-54), something that didn't deter the German side.

Local fans pushed Unicaja forward as Bonn started to lose focus. Tyson Carter and Melvin Ejim brought the Copa del Rey winners closer (57-58) with six minutes remaining.

But Malaga kept shooting blanks, while Bonn were holding on to the lead and stealing balls. Kendrick Perry made one from distance (63-67), even though it was too late and the winner had largely been decided. Shorts made a couple of free throws, before Melvin Ejim concluded a 7-0 run for the Spanish team that came within two (67-69).

Shorts went to the charity stripe with 11 seconds left and missed both attempts, but Kendrick Perry (almost like Bruno Fitipaldo in the first semi-final) wasted Unicaja's last shot. The former Panathinaikos guard dribbled down the court, took off from almost 9 meters, but didn't make the game-winning shot and Bonn celebrated their biggest win of the season.

Unicaja Malaga: Kendrick Perry 12 (3/12 FG, 4/4 FT, 4 REB, 7 AST, 3 TO), Melvin Ejim 12 (5/8 FG, 8 REB), Dario Brizuela 12 (4/9 FG), David Kravish 8.

Telekom Baskets Bonn: TJ Shorts 21 (5/13 FG, 10/13 FT, 7 AST, 3 TO), Javontae Hawkins 13 (4/10 FG, 3/3 FT, 6 REB, 4 TO), Finn Delany 13 (4/8 FG, 4/6 FT), Collin Malcolm 7.

Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.