Valencia advances to EuroCup semi-finals

The second game of the EuroCup quarter-finals saw Valencia qualify to the Eurocup semi-finals for a record eighth time. Concurrently, the other three series will be decided in Game 3 on Wednesday the 13th of March.

Rytas Vilnius – Valencia (56-71)

Despite losing by six at halftime (39-33), Valencia turned things around to earn a double-digit lead (50-64) and never looked back. The Spaniards crushed their Lithuanian opponents (56-71) and will play in the Eurocup semi-finals.

Mike Tobey led the winners with 18 points, as Fernando San Emeterio added 11. On the other hand, Martynas Echodas had 11 points for the losing squad.

Lokomotiv Kuban – UNICS Kazan (68-59)

Lokomotiv Kuban played excellent defense, allowing UNICS Kazan to score 26 fewer points than its season average (85.2). As a result, Lokomotiv Kuban won (68-59) and tied the series to force an all-decisive game three.

Dmitry Kulagin led the way for the winners, with 26 points, whereas Errick McCollum was the only player that scored in double figures for the losing squad (11).

Andorra – ASVEL Villeurbanne (98-79)

Andorra dominated ASVEL Villeurbanne and closed the game at 98-79. As a result, Andorra remained undefeated at home, forcing a game three next week.

Rafa Luz led the winners, with 17 points, while Dylan Ennis had 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

Theo Maledon was the best player of the losing squad, with 16 points and five assists, as AJ Slaughter added 14 points and Miro Bilan 12.

Unicaja Malaga – ALBA Berlin (81-101)

ALBA Berlin was unstoppable and decimated Unicaja Malaga on the road (81-101) to bring the home-court advantage back to Germany. That desicive game next week will determine which of these two teams will qualify for the Eurocup semi-finals.

The German visitors were in front early on (45-58), but the Spaniards went on an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to two (56-58). Yet, the Germans stood tall and brought their lead back to double digits to seal the deal (75-92).

Five players scored in double figures for the winners, as Rokas Giedraitis had a game-high 23 points.

Giorgi Shermadini posted a team-high 15 points for the losing squad, as four more players scored in double figures.