UCAM Murcia end six-year wait, return to the BCL Final Four

MIES (Switzerland) - UCAM Murcia won their Quarter-Finals series against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 2-0 to book their ticket to Belgrade, where they will appear in their second ever BCL Final Four and fist since Athens 2018.

Coach Sito Alonso enjoyed the calm and controlled approach of his players in Game 2 on Tuesday as Murca led from start to finish and raced to an 82-75 win on the  road.

Turning point: Ludwigsburg hoped they could make Murcia nervous if they stayed close throughout the fourth quarter, but Troy Caupain had other ideas. Shortly after the start of the final stanza he hit a three-pointer to beat the 24-second shot clock and took the air out of the building, killing all hopes of a potential comeback by the hosts.

 
Game heroes: Marko Todorovic has been in fine form since joining Murcia and he scored a team-high 17 points on Tuesday. Dustin Sleva was right behind with 15, Jonah Radebaugh had 13 with 6 rebounds against his former club, while Troy Caupain and Rodions Kurucs scored 10 each off the bench.

Stats don't lie: Murcia dished out 21 assists, compared to Ludwigsburg's 11, and took such good care of the ball that the hosts only came up with 1 steal. Murcia outscores the hosts 16-3 in points off turnovers.

Bottom line: Ludwigsburg played their hearts out, but could not reach their third Final Four in BCL history. Desure Buie had 15 points on the day for coach Josh King, who will now focus on the battles in the German easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga.

Meanwhile, Murcia's season is already a successful one. Coach Alonso and the front office can be proud of the work they've done so far in 2023-24, but with an international trophy just two wins away now, they will not feel satisfied just yet. Back in 2018, Murcia finished third in Athens.

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