Valencia Basket says goodbye to the Euroleague after achieving a bitter victory on the last day of the Regular Phase that was not enough to classify Rubén Burgos’ team among the top four in the group and, therefore, knocked them out of the competition.
The Taronjas needed to win (and they did) but also for Casademont Zaragoza (in a match that started at the same time) to lose at home against a Lublin team that was already virtually eliminated. There was no miracle and the Aragonese did not miss the opportunity so they will be the ones to access the playoffs of the highest continental competition. On the other hand, Valencia Basket played its last game of the season in the Euroleague.
The Fonteta fans, on their feet, said goodbye to their team with applause despite the elimination, rewarding the effort made.
Valencia Basket said goodbye to the Euroleague with its head held high and after a very serious match in which almost all the members of the squad shone at a high level, with a spectacular Fingall very well accompanied by Ouviña, Torrens, Casas, Iagupova. .. An exhibition of potential in all aspects of the game, in defense and attack that makes the elimination of Valencia BC even more painful, a team that yesterday demonstrated that it has the squad and quality to have gone much further in this Euroleague. The taronja, who have gone from less to more in the competition, are eliminated as victims of their irregularity in the first round of the Regular Phase. They say goodbye after convincingly beating Casademont Zaragoza 85-56 (two weeks ago) and yesterday against Schio, two teams that, paradoxically, will be in the quarterfinals.
Taronja dominance was brewed from the first stages of the game. Schio could only maintain equality for the first few minutes. Cristina Ouviña, after an elaborate Taronja attack, opened the scoring. It was also the Schio, Verona base that scored the first basket in play for the visitors. Valencia Basket’s points were added more with penetrations (Queralt, Iagupova…) than from outside shots and the first local advantages arrived (9-4) and it was precisely an inside one, Gúlich who achieved the first triple, immediately answered with the same coin for the Schio.
Valencia Basket’s defense little by little was settling on the field, building a wall. Valencia Basket did a great job on the rebound, controlling it on the offensive side, which gave second chances. Schio activated after a timeout and approached 3 (16-13). Rubén Burgos also asked for time and moved the bench. Alba Torrens jumped onto the court and debuted a triple that restored peace of mind (21-13). A triple at Fingall’s horn that the referees finally awarded closed a brilliant first quarter for the Taronjas (26-13). At Príncipe Felipe the first quarter also ended with a clear victory for Casademont Zaragoza (25-6).
The taronja machine did not slow down, it gave a recital of play in which each player fulfilled their role and dominated the score (33-17 min. 13). Nadia Fingall gave quite a recital in the Sergio Cuaro in which Valencia Basket took over all facets of the game with great defense. The taronjas enjoyed and showed off, they reached twenty points difference but they wanted more. At 51-27 the break was reached. In Zaragoza (45-26) for Casademont against Lublin. The fans followed the Aragonese game through their mobile phones and the disappointment was reflected on their faces. Valencia Basket was giving an exhibition but everything suggested that it would not be enough.
The game was resumed and the dominance of Rubén Burgos’s team continued. Schio tried to put the local team in more trouble by intensifying their defense but yesterday Valencia Basket had the resources to overcome any obstacle. Although the advantage was clear (60-33 min. 25), the Valencia BC players, knowing that they could be playing their last minutes in the Euroleague, did not slow down. If Valencia Basket had to die, they wanted to do it by killing.
Schio could not find a way to attack the suffocating and effective Taronja defense.
Valencia Basket had a comfortable lead of 30 points (68-38 min. 38) against a Schio for whom the game was becoming very long. And with a lead of thirty, he closed the third quarter (71-41) and faced his last 10 minutes in this Euroleague. The last quarter, a mere procedure did not change the panorama. Valencia BC completed one of its best performances this season but without the desired prize.
2024-01-30 22:21:56
#Goodbye #Euroleague #exhibition
