The first defeat was bound to come one day. Needless to say. Uni Girona fought until the end. In fact, the Girona team closed the third quarter dominating the orange team (43-51), but a final 26-12 run by Valencia Basket turned the score around, and Uni ended up falling with their heads held high by a tight 69-63.
No score
With the typical nerves of a great match, the mistakes in attack and the lack of accuracy in front of the basket stood out at this start. Little by little, the dominance in height of the Valencia team gave Valencia the advantage, but two consecutive assists from Bibby to Guerrero brought us closer to only 2 points (10-8). Finally, Erauncetamurgil, inside the zone, scored the last basket of the first quarter (12-8).
With the change of quarter, Spar improved in defense, and Caldwell scored two consecutive points to tie the game at 12. Despite the local adjustments and the absence of Pierre on the court, Uni suffered from the constant attacks of Alexander and Fingall (21-16). But with the entry of Pierre-Louis, the intensity was balanced, and Spar came closer, attacking decisively to the basket (24-22). With 24 seconds left, Íñiguez designed a play that ended with free throws for Bibby, which served to tie the score at 24.
Chip change
Already in the second half, Touré scored Uni’s first three-pointer, unlocking the team from long distance. Immediately afterwards, Lundquist established the maximum difference of the game with another three-pointer (30-36). Faced with the lack of local success, Spar increased the intensity to try to break the confrontation, and points from Pierre, Bibby, Lundquist and Hristova put Girona ahead by 10 points (34-44). Rubén Burgos called a timeout to find solutions, but Bibby’s direction (with a basket from Hristova) and a 2+1 from the Australian allowed them to maintain the distance (41-51). However, Casas scored on the last possession of the third quarter, leaving the score at 43-51.
Partial from 26 to 12
With everything to decide, Valencia once again trusted their game plan and constantly attacked the zone (2+1 from Mavunga and basket from Fingall, 48-51). Caldwell broke the half with an offensive rebound, but a recovery from Iagupova put the Orange team back to just three points (50-53). Roberto Íñiguez called a timeout to look for solutions, but Valencia’s dynamic continued, attacking the zone, turning the score around (59-57) and pulling away with a three-pointer from Mavunga (62-57). The oranges, with many points from the free throw line, managed to distance themselves, although Uni ended up closing the match with a tight 69-63.
