Valencia Basket, after being in third position in the preliminary phase of the Euroleague and not having achieved the place at stake for the maximum continental tournament, They will play the Eurocup and play the regular phase in Group I with the Belgians Namur Capitale and Kangoroes Basket and with a rival yet to be determined.
The defeat suffered this Thursday against Tango Bourges In the last match of that preliminary phase, he placed Rubén Burgos’ team in this group that will be completed with the winner of the two-legged tie between Italian Molisana Magnolia and Galician Durán Maquinaria Ensino.
The Eurocup, in which Valencia will defend the title achieved last season, will start on Wednesday, October 13 with twelve groups of four teams (divided into two conferences by geographical criteria) of which the two best of each and the four best third parties will access the crossings.
Defeat in overtime against Bourges
Valencia Basket fell this Thursday in extra time against a Tango Bourges that they did not know how to finish off in a clash that both teams began already knowing that they will play the Eurocup because the place of the Euroleague will be for Famila Beretta Schio who beat them both in the first matches of this previous phase.
The Valencian team dominated the second half but two misses from the free kick in the closing seconds and poor defense allowed Bourges to force extra time in the final second. In that extension, the Spanish team was in tow and their bad decisions in the last attacks prevented them from coming back.
From starter, to Valencia, with Cristina Ouviña on the bench and Queralt Casas injuredIt was difficult for him to maintain the defensive pressure and the French team scored so easily that he was about to break the game (23-13, m.10).
Laura Gil and Celeste Trahan-Davis began to score and returned some confidence to the team but it was the appearance of Ouviña that returned Valencia to their usual pulsations and allowed them to narrow the score before the break (32-28, m.20).
A couple of good actions by Laura Gil at the restart allowed Valencia to complete the comeback and the wide shots of Marie Gülich consolidated their advantage.
Angela Salvadores made up for the French team’s attempts to command again in the clash, but in the absence of twenty seconds, a triple by Alix Duchet re-established the tie.
With good ball circulation, andhe Spanish team brought the ball under the ring where Gülich was fouled. The German missed a free kick, the same as Salvadores after losing her to Bourges, which gave the French team one last option., who forced the extension with a basket from Isabelle Yacoubou and took it.