By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Valencia made the first step forward in the Eurocup semifinals by beating Hapoel Jerusalem at home 83-68.
Led by Fernando San Emeterio’s 21 points and Bojan Dubljevic’s double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, Valencia sealed the first crucial win against a long term rival!
Stoudemire gave a 4-point lead to the visitors early on (8-12), then the Spanish team surpassed and managed to stay up after the first quarter, 20-19. Shawn Jones expanded Hapoel’s lead to 22-29 midway through the second period and after a few ties, the hosts still stayed up by one point at halftime, 36-35.
A 3-pointer by Luke Sikma made it a 10-point game at 24′, 47-37, while Valencia kept a 55-48 head after 30 minutes. Hapoel reduced to 5 points with Tarence Kinsey (22 points), yet soon enough the hosts restored double digit leads.
Also with his second triple Rafa Martinez of Valencia Basket overtook the competition’s scoring king, Marko Popovic of Montakit Fuenlabrada, for first place on the all-time list of three-pointers made with 208. Martinez, 35, did so in his 127thcareer EuroCup appearance, which is the second most in competition history.