Alba was close to a surprise success at the defending champions in Malaga. In the end, however, it was the weak three-point ratio that cost the Berliners their opening victory in the quarter-final series.
- Alba loses 69:72 in Malaga
- The Berliners held up well against the weak defending champions
- In the end, the weak three-point ratio probably cost them the victory
In the Basketball Champions League Alba Berlin narrowly missed a surprise at the start of the quarter-final series. The Berliners lost to defending champions Unicaja Malaga 69:72 (29:34) on Wednesday evening. The best Berlin throwers were Jack Kayil (19) and Justin Bean (11).
The next game in the best-of-five series will take place next Wednesday in the German capital. Alba then urgently needs a win to keep the dream of the Final Four alive.
Poor hit rate on both sides
The Berliners got off to a good start in front of a loud crowd in the Palacio de Deportes, characterized by horns and trumpets. Two good defensive actions, a quick three-pointer from Justin Bean and free throws from Malte Delow brought them quickly into the game and gave them a small buffer (5-0) on the southern Spaniards, who were able to convey their high individual quality better and better as the game progressed.
Led by strong builders Kendrick Perry and Justin Cobbs, Malaga took the lead with an 11-0 run. Afterwards, Alba managed to keep up well, especially offensively, and repeatedly successfully attacked the basket. Defensively, the team of coach Pedro Calles, who was himself born in Andalusia, initially allowed too many easy throws.
In the second round the pace remained high, but the hit rates fell rapidly. Alba failed to take advantage of the defending champions’ surprisingly weak performance in this phase and only scored seven points in the entire second quarter. Until the break, the guests only converted two of twelve three-pointers. Malaga went into the dressing room with a narrow lead (34:29).
Surprise would have been possible
After the break, both teams became more accurate again and the Berliners worked their way back up with good defense. They repeatedly forced the Spaniards to lose the ball and converted them into points. A layup from Bean reduced the deficit to just three points (41:44) after five minutes. However, Alba continued to suffer from the lack of precision from a distance, while the home team pulled away again with strong individual actions and led by double digits for the first time after a three-pointer from Cobbs (54:44).
But the eleven-time German champion showed himself to be combative and actually worked his way back into striking distance in the final section. Malaga didn’t score at times, while Alba kept looking for a quick finish. Jack Kayil in particular, who had single-handedly carried the Berlin team several times in the last few weeks, now turned up the heat and brought his team to equalize two minutes before the end (67:67).
However, Malaga’s Alberto Diaz ultimately made the decision in favor of the Spaniards. First he drew an offensive foul on defense and shortly afterwards converted a three-pointer on the other side, while the Berliners continued to struggle from a distance. They were only able to convert six of 26 three-point attempts in Malaga and, in the end, that was probably the main reason why they missed the surprise against a beatable defending champion.
Broadcast: rbb|24, April 1st, 2026, 10:46 p.m
Audio: rbb|24, April 1, 2026, Nikolaus Hillmann
