against forecast, Casademont Zaragoza will play its first final of the Copa de la Reina after having given the surprise in the semifinal against Valencia Basket (59-74), which they defeated in a Prince Philip Pavilion full to the brim and where the record attendance in a Queen’s Cup match with 8876 viewers.
Valencia BC threw for a land an income in their favor of 14 points achieved in an outstanding first quarter. The lack of aim in the outside shotwith only three triples in 22 attempts, and the greater aggressiveness of the hostesses decanted the semifinal. The Valencian power forward Vega Gimenoauthor of 18 points, all from the line of three, and Leonie Fiebich they compensated the extraordinary game of Raquel Carrerawho finished with 24 points and 36 valuation credits.
Sweeping entrance to the game
The Valencia BC players perfectly launched the party plan: going out against Príncipe Felipe with the same intensity with which on Thursday they sentenced the pass to the semifinal in the second half against Estudiantes. To the sound of a sensational Raquel Carrera, they started like a steamroller over Casademont Zaragoza (10-2, m. 3). While the ‘taronja’ worked for ten minutes like a greased machine, the hostesses, stuck, only found some light thanks to the German Fiebich and her connection with Markeisha Gatling.
After a free kick converted by Alba TorrensValencia BC reached a maximum advantage of 14 points (23-9, m. 7). A layup from the German forward and a 2+1 pass from point guard Carmen Grande against Marie Gülich broke the ten-point barrier and ignited the stands (25-16, m. 9). Precisely, in the ten the distance remained after a technique to Carlos Cantero, Zaragoza coach, who pressured the referees in each of their decisions, and penetrations by Cristina Ouviña and Imane Tate (29-18, m. 10).
It was an outstanding first quarter for the ‘taronja’: without losses, dominating the rebound and with a 70% accuracy rate from the field. Zaragoza, however, managed to neutralize everything and take the game to the ground that Cantero was looking for in the second room.
arrera, the best of the Valencians by far, broke a four-minute drought without scoring (30-21, m. 14). For his part, the stiletto of the tricks, Fiebich, put them fully from the perimeter in the fight for the final. And, from the same place, Vega Gimeno raised the temperature in the stands even more with two more triples (32-30, m. 17).
Zaragoza had sealed the paint, and the home fans played their role while the referees ignored most of the contacts on that ground. Only the determined Queralt Casas was able to enter that mined area to take advantage of an assist from Carrera. On the other side of the track, the defense was punished and Tate knew how to take advantage of it from the free practice line to leave everything tied at halftime (34-24, m. 20).
The triple and the rebound make the difference in the second half
The lack of foreign release penalized Valencia BC, who did not open the triple box until Queralt Casas did it in the second half (39-36, m. 23). Carrera added and continued, but Tate returned the equalizer from the corner (41-41) and the powerful Gatling put hers ahead for the first time in the entire duel (41-43, m. 28). The annotation fell at the same time that the aggressiveness of the defenses rose to the maximum. A loss by Salvadores led to Fiebich’s counterattack, with 2+1, and a new impulse for the hosts (41-46).
The public came up to the cry of “Saragossa, Zaragoza!” after a new penetration by Grande. Gülich, with his first basket of the afternoon, and the always present Carrera were able to limit the problems (45-48, m. 30) that Valencia BC had gotten into before the start of the last quarter. Some problems among which stood out the absolute loss of the rebound.
Alonso de Armiño holed another triple. Raquel Carrera, with more than twenty points, would be in charge of offering all the resistance… until Cris Ouviña joined the cause with the team’s second triple in more than half an hour of play (52-53, m. 34). Valencia BC revived in attack with an outside shot from Gülich that seemed to bring calm with a five-point lead (58-53, m. 35). But then, a Valencian woman emerged as the protagonist of the semifinal to leave Valencia BC out. Vega Gimeno chained three triples that fell like slabs in the group of Rubén Burgos.
After the recital tirador de Gimeno (59-62, m. 37), the ‘taronja’ would no longer raise their heads. They did not add a single more point from a free kick by Carrera with more than four minutes to go before the conclusion. Zaragoza delved into the wound, in the technical KO of Valencia, to extend the advantage and the joy of the local fans. The semifinal ended with Gimeno’s sixth triple (59-74, m. 40). Raquel Carrera’s ‘great game’, without company in the search for what would have been the second final of the section in the Copa de la Reina, was useless.
Schedule of the final of the Cup 2023
The final of the Copa de la Reina will be held this Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in the Príncipe Felipe de Zaragozabetween the hostesses and the winner of the second semifinal that they play this Saturday on Perfumery Avenida de Salamanca and the Loint Gernika.
Datasheet:
59 – Valencia Basket (28+6+11+14): Leti Romero (2), Casas (13), Burdick (-), Carrera (24), Cox (5) -first five- Torrens (3), Ouviña (6), Buenavida (-), Salvadores (1) and Gulich (5).
74 – Casademont Zaragoza (18+16+14+26): Mariona Ortiz (7), Oma (2), Fiebich (16), Vega Gimeno (18), Gatling (8) -starting five- Tate (11), Grande (5), Lara González (2), Geldolf (-) and Gracia Alonso (5).
Referees: Jacobo Rial, Paula Lema and Cristina Adam.
Incidences: first semifinal of the Copa de la Reina, played in the Príncipe Felipe pavilion in Zaragoza, in front of 8,876 spectators, a figure that represents a record attendance in this competition.
