By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Valencia began its 2024 games by defeating Anadolu Efes 93 – 88 at home and bouncing back to EuroLeague wins to improve to 10 – 8. Efes, on the other hand, suffered its fifth straight loss and is now 7 – 11.
Six Valencia players scored in double figures to compile what was arguably the top offensive performance for their team this season.
Brandon Davies had 15 points plus seven rebounds, Chris Jones provided 15 points of his own and six assists while Damien Inglis posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Semi Ojeleye dropped 14 points as well.
“We definitely had to earn that one,” Davies said. “That’s a good team that gave us some trouble from early on. But we figured things out and we battled it out. We played team defense and we did great job on that tonight.”
Shane Larkin had 20 points and five assists for Efes. Tyrique Jones scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds while Elijah Bryant added 13 points.
A 10-2 run decided the game
“We fought till the end but the situation beginning in the third quarter was bad for us,” Efes coach Erdem Can said. His team led 43 – 45 at halftime and went up 60 – 64 late in the third quarter but Valencia responded with a 10 – 2 run and never looked back. “At the end of the day . our 3-pointers were better today but we missed some open looks. defensively we weren’t on the right level.
Bryant made six quick points with consecutive 3-pointers in the last minute to give Efes a fighting chance after Valencia went up 91 – 82 with 80 seconds remaining. The Turkish side approached 91 – 88 with 16 seconds left on the clock but was late to foul and, when that happened, Jared Harper made 2-2 from the line to secure the hosts’ win.
“Important for us to be strong at home,” said Valencia coach Alex Mumbru said. “We played better in the second half. we defended better against Larkin in the last quarter because he killed us in the first three quarters. Overall, we played better defense in the last quarter to win the game.”