Unicaja Cruise to III Memorial Javier Imbroda Title With 105-67 Rout of Melilla

Txus Vidorreta's first game in charge of Unicaja couldn't have gone much smoother, as the Malaga club claimed the III Memorial Javier Imbroda trophy with a comfortable 105-67 win over Melilla Ciudad del Deporte. Unicaja controlled the game from start to finish, mixing pace and ball movement on offense with a defense that never let Melilla settle into any kind of rhythm.
Kendrick Perry (183-PG-1992, college: YSU) ran the show from the point and walked away with MVP honors, finishing with 19 points and 9 assists for a 28 efficiency rating, while summer signing Ignas Brazdeikis (201-G/F-1999, college: Michigan) was arguably the game's most efficient player, going a perfect night from the field for 20 points to go with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Vidorreta opened with Perry running the offense, Cameron Hunt (192-SG-1997, college: Southwestern, KS) and Simonas Lukosius (202-G/F-2002, college: Cincinnati) on the wings, and Jonathan Barreiro (203-F-1997, agency: Octagon Europe) and Yannick Nzosa (211-C-2003) up front, and while Melilla's Smith got the scoring started, that early lead didn't last. Perry pushed the tempo and Yannick Nzosa cashed in on the break to help Unicaja jump ahead 14-5 just four minutes in. Melilla briefly tightened things up, but a string of Brazdeikis triples let Malaga pull clear again, and Unicaja closed the first quarter on top, 27-18.
The second quarter turned into one-way traffic. Unicaja stretched the margin to 43-27 by the midway point, continuing to punish Melilla both in transition and in the half court while keeping their defensive intensity high, and went into the break firmly in command at 55-34. The third quarter was, if anything, even more lopsided: Unicaja opened the half by rocketing out to a 68-39 advantage, and Lukosius drilled back-to-back threes to push it further to 78-43 before the pace eased slightly in the closing minutes. Even so, Malaga carried a commanding 85-50 lead into the fourth.
Unicaja kept the foot down in the final period, reaching 98-54 with just over five minutes remaining. Tyson Perez (202-PF-1996) provided the basket that pushed the team past 100 points, Lukosius kept adding from the perimeter, and Guiddens got on the scoresheet from the field to round out the 105-67 final. It capped a thoroughly convincing first outing for Vidorreta's Unicaja, who begin their new era with a win and plenty of encouraging signs.