By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In one of the most fascinating games of this season’s Liga Endesa in general, Valencia was better in the endgame details against Unicaja Malaga to win the teams’ first quarterfinal game 79 – 75.
The one dressed in a hero’s cape for the hosts, was without a doubt John Shurna. The American power forward scored 10 consecutive points in the last minutes, to effectively repel Andalusians’ efforts to claim the game as theirs.
He was also the one to dish an assist to Justin Hamilton for the 77 – 75 with few seconds to go, a basket that sealed the final outcome. Shurna finished the match with 16 points, and 4 rebounds, while Rafa Martinez and Fernando San Emeterio, added 13 points each.
Unicaja Malaga missed a golden opportunity to make a “home-court” break, also considering its fantastic entrance in the game with 7/8 (!) three-pointers. The Serbian duo of Nemanja Nedovic (22 points) and Stefan Markovic (13 points) were the only players to score in double-digits for the guests.