Unicaja walked into Pavelló Nou Congost and took control when it mattered most, beating Manresa 98-92 on Sunday in ACB action. The game was tight early and tense late, but Unicaja’s 31-point third quarter separated the teams and ultimately decided it.
How the game swung
The opening 10 minutes were a mirror: 22-22 after the first. Manresa found a rhythm in the second quarter, winning it 24-21 to take a 46-43 lead into halftime. The advantage didn’t last.
Unicaja came out of the break with its cleanest stretch of the night, pouring in 31 points in the third while holding Manresa to 26. That five-point swing erased the deficit and created breathing room heading into the fourth.
Closing time: Unicaja holds the edge
Manresa made one more push, but the fourth quarter tilted Unicaja again, 24-20. In a game that stayed within striking distance, Unicaja consistently found enough offense to answer and close out the 98-92 win.
Ball movement and execution
Neither team dominated the assist battle, but both played with structure. Manresa finished with 19 assists; Unicaja had 17. The difference wasn’t volume—it was timing, with Unicaja’s best execution arriving immediately after halftime during the third-quarter burst.
What it means going forward
For Unicaja (11-6, form: WWWLW), this was the kind of road result that travels: win the key segment, manage the finish, and bank a valuable away victory. For Manresa (7-10, form: WLWLL), the loss stings because the first-half advantage was real, but the inability to keep pace in the third quarter left too much ground to recover in the final 10 minutes.