By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Valencia Basket crushed FC Bayern Munich in the fourth quarter and grabbed an 82-73 victory, extending the winning streak to five games and improving to a 12-10 score, giving the Bavarians their 13th defeat of the season (9-13).
Jonah Radebaugh led the winning side with 14 points, while Chris Jones added 11.
“It’s feeling good right now, and all the guys have confidence in me, so I just try to play my game and shoot the ball. Sometimes it goes in, and sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s the game. It’s falling my way right now,” Valencia’s top scorer of the night, Radebaugh, said.
Xabi Lopez Arostegui and Klemen Prepelic followed with 10 points each.
“I was struggling all season long, but finally, I found some rhythm, we had a lot of problems with a lot of injuries, and we knew each one of us had to take a step forward; I think we did it, especially in the effort in the defensive end. I’m in love with Fonteta, and the crowd really gets me going,” Prepelic said after the game.
Cassius Winston was by far the best at Andrea Trinchieri’s team with 22 points, while Niels Giffey followed him with 14 as the only other player in double-digits.
“I would say our one-on-one defense was close to pornography. I didn’t expect it, and the game became very complicated. We didn’t have a good rhythm on offense; we had turnovers and were slow. In the first half, we were solid in defense and were in the game, and after that, every move Valencia players made gave them five meters of separation; you cannot play basketball like this,” Trinchieri said.
Though battle in the first half. Both teams fought hard for every possession, finding it hard to score. Valencia had an edge after the first 10 minutes with a 16-14 lead and stayed in front with a 33-32 advantage at halftime thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Xabi Lopez Arostegui.
In the same way, the hosts ended the third period. After a closely fought battle, thanks to Shannon Evans’ hit from beyond the arc in the last seconds, Valencia got a 61-56 lead before the final 10 minutes.
Evans’ triple instigated a big 17-2 run for Alex Mumbru’s team, which had crucial importance. Prepelic started the final period with six straight points, Evans and the others followed him, and Valencia got to a 17-point surplus. Bayern never recovered.
“We played great defense in the first 20 minutes, and in the fourth quarter, we were waiting for our moment, and finally, it arrived, we scored some threes, and we were happy. We broke the game at that moment. We played great, and I’m very happy for my players,” Valencia’s coach Alex Mumbru said.