By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Valencia beat Unicaja Malaga 79 – 76 at home in Game 3 of the Spanish ACB League quarterfinals to win the series 2-1 and advance to the next stage in the playoffs. The “Taronja”, that made a 0-2 turnaround after getting defeated in Game 1, will face defending champions Real Madrid in the semifinals.
Mike Tobey scored 17 points and Alberto Abalde 12, including the two free throws that all but sealed the win for Valencia with nine seconds remaining. Fernando San Emeterio had 11 points and Louis Labeyrie six out of his nine points in the last crucial minutes.
Labeyrie dropped seven consecutive points via a triple plus a four-point play to make it 73 – 64 with 2:31 remaining. Malaga had previously taken a 60 – 61 lead after recovering from a 13-point deficit, 56 – 43, at the end of the third.
Giorgi Shermadini (14 points) and Brian Roberts (12 points) were the top scorers of Malaga. Roberts also hit the 3-pointer to make it 77 – 74 with 19 seconds left to play, before Abalde’s key free throws.