Faith in victory leads to 16th win at Roig Arena (94-83)

Valencia Basket celebrated their 16th EuroLeague victory with nearly 8,000 season ticket holders in attendance, defeating Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 94-83. They struggled in the first half to contain the visitors' offensive rebounds, but gradually built momentum after halftime, finding their rhythm and erasing the deficit. They ultimately secured the win with excellent defense in the final five minutes.

Post-game quotes: Pedro Martínez

It was a very tough game for us. We started the game very well, opening up with 6 or 7 points early on, but then they played impressively and dominated us on the boards and in tempo. They played very well, and I think what we did in the first half was really an exercise in survival—very commendable. I want to congratulate the team especially for that first half, because they were dominating us so much that they could easily have gone up by 14 or 15 points. That’s when I think the team really stepped up. Then the three-pointers, for example those by Josep Puerto at the end of the second quarter, were very important in giving us a chance—something that told us, “Wait, this isn’t decided yet.”

The team’s attitude was excellent, and I’ll say it clearly: I’m proud of our fans. Proud of our fans—and everyone can interpret that comment however they want—but I think it has to be said, because they helped us tremendously. The players were spectacular, working extremely hard defensively against a team that was physically superior to us. They showed that, and on top of that we had a lot of foul trouble throughout the game with our big men, which forced us to play with smaller lineups.

This is one of those games you remember years later because of how hard it was, because of the effort required, and because in the end you manage to pull it out. It’s a very important win, against a direct rival who had already beaten us in the first leg, with the basket average at stake. So I’m very happy with everything—with the fans, with the team, with the players, who did a very good job.