Unicaja Malaga will host Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets on Wednesday evening in a Round of 16 matchup, with jump ball scheduled for 7 p.m. Local time at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in Malaga, Spain. The game is a crucial one for the Baskets, who are seeking a win to bolster their chances of advancing to the quarterfinals of the Basketball Champions League.
Wurzburg narrowly lost the first leg against Unicaja three weeks ago, falling 90-85. The Baskets rallied in the second half, outscoring Unicaja 51-41 and nearly securing a victory, leading by one point with 14 seconds remaining before ultimately falling short.
Unicaja, the reigning Basketball Champions League champion for the past two years, currently holds a strong record of 32 wins in their last 34 games in the competition. Their only defeat in that span came against Joventut Badalona. They are currently in second place in Group K. The Spanish club has a rich European history, winning the Korac Cup in 2001 and subsequently competing in the EuroLeague for 16 of the following 17 years. They have also secured three Spanish Cup titles, a Spanish championship in 2006, and the BKT EuroCup in 2017. More recently, they have dominated the Basketball Champions League, winning titles in 2022, 2024, and 2025, and the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 2024 and 2025.
A key player for Unicaja is Kendrick Perry, who has been with the club since 2022. Perry has accumulated seven titles with Unicaja, including two Spanish Cups (2023 and 2025), the Spanish Super Cup (2024), and back-to-back Basketball Champions League titles (2024 and 2025), as well as two FIBA Intercontinental Cup wins (2024 and 2025). He was named MVP of the BCL final tournament in Belgrade two years ago and is currently considered a strong contender for the MVP award this season alongside Raiquan Gray, Jack Kayil, and Cameron Hunt.
Currently averaging 13.5 points in less than 20 minutes of play, Perry boasts a 52 percent shooting accuracy from the three-point line, 4.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Nihad Dedovic and Augustine Rubit, both members of Unicaja’s squad since the 2022/2023 season, have prior experience playing in Germany’s easyCredit BBL. Dedovic played for ALBA BERLIN and FC Bayern Munich Basketball, while Rubit has played for Tübingen, Ulm, Bamberg, Munich, and Rostock.
Unicaja coach Ibon Navarro employs a twelve-man rotation, distributing playing time evenly among his players. Only Perry, Dedovic, and Chris Duarte currently average double-digit points in the BCL for Unicaja. Dedovic led Unicaja in scoring during the first leg against Wurzburg with 21 points.
Following the Champions League game, Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets will return home to face MLP Academics Heidelberg in an easyCredit BBL match on Friday evening at 8 p.m. A carnival-themed after-party will be held in the tectake ARENA foyer, featuring DJ Fajo and 500 liters of free beer from Kauzen Bräu for attendees in costume.
