With a massive defensive performance, Xavi Pascual’s team never let Unicaja have a sniff in this second game and kept their focus throughout the 40 minutes to run out 52-84 winners and set up a semi-final against the winners of the Caja Laboral-Gran Canària 2014 quarter final, which the Basque team are currently leading 1-0.

First half virtually settles things

It was a nervous start to the game from both teams and neither of them were able to settle, with some poor shooting stats, particularly from out wide, before Barça began to play their patient team game to move from 6-8 to take a 6-17 lead at the end of the first 10 minutes.

Unicaja were not looking comfortable though and their hurried game was making things even tougher for them. Barça were not particularly accurate either, with just two from twelve attempted three pointers, but their inside game (13/21 against 4/19 for Malaga) was enough to maintain the visitors’ lead at around 10 points, finishing the first half 20-34.

Lead stretches

Although Joel Freeland took charge after the break with six points that got no reply from Regal Barça, Unicaja were unable to cut down the distance, indeed it soon stretched to a comfortable 20 points for the visitors, who continued to defend well.

One of the few tense moments in the game came when Anderson and Jimenez had a set to after an accidental foul from Anderson. The foul was given, but Jimenez, who was making his 600th ACB appearance, saw red and it needed the rest of his teammates to control him and calm him down.

Meanwhile, the scoreboard kept ticking over and as the third quarter finished, a three-pointer from Lorbek put Barça were a clear 38-60 in front.

There was not much Unicaja could do in the final 10 minutes and a three pointer from Joe Ingles took the lead to a massive 34 point lead before Freeland scored the final points to make it 50-84.