Valencia and Bursaspor, lasts to rally the Eurocup semi-finals

Valencia stood up to their rank by defeating Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (98-85) while Bursaspor continues to impress by knocking out Cedevita Olimpija (85-83).

Valencia chose a more collective approach with five players in double figures led by Jasiel Rivero (21 points) to defeat a blazing Will Cummings (31 points). The Spaniards always had a comfortable lead since halftime (56-46) to defeat any French hopes. Valencia will now face Virtus Bologna in their 9th semi-finals to claim a 5th Eurocup title.

“We are very happy for the victory and for qualifying to the semifinals of this thrilling EuroCup season, with so many surprises under the new format. We knew it was going to be a tough game. Offensively, I think we carried the game really well, playing with a lot of balance, finding good situations. Maybe we slowed down a bit in the fourth quarter and at the end of the third quarter due to their zone defense, but even with that, I think we did well. But we had up-and-downs on our defense. We could have done better and the team knows that it has to be better in some one-on-one situations, making better use of the fouls.”
Joan Peñarroya, Valencia head coach

Next Game : Virtus Bologna – Valencia on May 4, 8:30 P.M CET

Bursaspor waking dream still goes on against Cedevita Olimpija

The Turkish club is the winner of this new “March Madness” format by creating another upset after their previous victory over Partizan (103-95 OT). Once again, the game came down to the wire. Despite a huge lead by the visitors at halftime (36-50), Bursaspor heavily relied on Derek Needham (20 points) and John Holland off the bench (16 points) to repel the Slovenians for the 85 – 83 victory. The game was dramatic until the last shot since Cedevita’s veteran Jacob Pullen thought he knocked a game-winning three but it was too late. Bursaspor will now take on Andorra in the semi-finals.

“What can I say. This was a great game. I think we deserved it, we controlled almost the whole game, for almost 40 minutes. Honestly, I’m out of my mind right now, I will tell you one thing: I think this is one of the best dreams in European basketball right now and we are still dreaming. We want to go step by step, for sure. We have a game in the Turkish competition and then we will think of Andorra.”
Dusan Alimpijevic, Frutti Extra Bursaspor head coach