Team effort win over Hiopos Lleida to open the second half (101-65)

Valencia Basket opened the second half of the Liga Endesa with a solid team victory over Hiopos Lleida by 101-65, in a game they took control of after an early first-quarter run and in which they gradually extended their lead before sealing their 14th Liga Endesa win with another strong run in the final period. The taronja side started a bit cold, but Josep Puerto sparked a 16–0 run that put our team in front as early as the first quarter.

The Catalan team managed to cut the deficit slightly at the start of the second quarter, but Valencia Basket tightened up defensively and did not allow them to score from open play. When the captain and Montero began to find their range from deep (12/22 from three at halftime), the lead grew heading into the break. Valencia’s shooting cooled after the interval and the margin remained steady in the third quarter, but in the final period the taronja produced another 16–0 run to blow the game wide open for good.

Post-game quotes: Pedro Martínez

“Taking into account that Hiopos Lleida came into the game very weakened by their absences, especially in the frontcourt, and in that sense I think we took advantage of the absence of Ejim and Goloman, who are very important players for them. But the positive thing on our end is that we showed them maximum respect from the very start of the game, which is what we had to do—focus on doing things as well as possible. In that regard, we played a good game, with pace, defending well, and without doing anything just for show. I think we had some luck with their absences, but we did our part quite well.”