The competition returned to Martín Urbano after a three-week break for Unicaja Mijas, which between the FIBA windows and the effect of Dana passing through our country has already accumulated two postponed matches. Javi Pérez’s team did not want to disengage from the top of the table and maintain the good dynamics they have so far this season.
Opposite, Lima Horta Barcelona, bottom of the competition, did not want to make it easy for the locals. The Herlihy sisters came out plugged in to set the tone of the match, giving the first advantages to those in green and purple from the triple, a party to which Celia García joined. Despite the timeouts requested by Lima Horta, the Malaga team remained ahead at the end of the first quarter (23-18).
The emergence of Sofía Galerón in the clash gave Unicaja Mijas a plus, which soon in the second round reached a ten-point advantage and left Lima Horta lacking resources to knock down the Malaga defense (42-30) . After passing through the locker room, the defenses tightened. The points came with few drops, although the dominance of the offensive rebound, which would end up being 17 catches in total, allowed our team to close an unimpressive quarter but with work well underway (57-47).
Already in the last quarter the game broke down, with many inaccuracies and many points in both rings. Galerón, Capellán and García stopped Lima Horta’s efforts to reduce the disadvantage, which was around ten points practically the entire last period. Two triples from Garrido gave the visitors wings, but Celia García’s reply from 6.75 silenced the rumor of rebellion. In the end, fifth victory in the box for Unicaja Mijas, which continues to grow day after day and is already aiming for next Saturday against Real Canoe (79-68).
The negative note of the match was the injury of Mar Segura, who had to leave on a stretcher after falling alone, apparently with discomfort in her left knee. Sofía Galerón was the best of the Malaga team with 16 points, 9 rebounds and a PIR of 23. Celia García, Bridget Herlihy and Cesarina Capellán also stood out with 16, 15 and 14 points respectively. For her part, Briana Herlihy also had a great performance with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists, almost reaching the triple double.
Technical sheet:
Referees: Salvador Patricio; Daniel Cotta
Unicaja Mijas: Capellan (13), Moreno (5), Dike (0), Ruiz (0), Briana Herlihy (13), Bridget Herlihy (15), Galerón (16), Ramírez (-), Segura (0), Orois (0), Peña (0), García (16).
Lima Horta Barcelona: Flores (2), Vilches (2), N’Bionewe (6), Poyato (2), Sánchez (19), Pacheco (12), Wilson (5), Barrientos (7), Garrido (13) .
