Valencia Basket will face Durán Maquinaria Ensino in the quarterfinals of the Copa de la Reina 

Valencia Basket already know their opponent and the bracket for the Copa de la Reina, which will be held in Tarragona from March 26 to 29. The taronja side, who qualified as a seeded team, will face Durán Maquinaria Ensino on the opening day, Thursday 26th, in the second game of the day at 8:30 p.m. This game, like all others in the tournament, will be broadcast live on Teledeporte.

If they win, the taronja would face the winner of the tie between Casademont Zaragoza and IDK Euskotren in a hypothetical semifinal to be played on Saturday, March 28, at 5:30 p.m. Hozono Global Jairis vs. Innova-tsn Leganés and Spar Girona vs. Perfumerías Avenida will be the other two quarterfinals from which the other finalist will emerge. Should Valencia Basket reach the final, they would play on Sunday, March 29, at 6:00 p.m.

This will be the eighth edition of the tournament contested by Valencia Basket. Their best performance came in the 2023–24 season, when they lifted the Copa trophy for the first and only time, in Huelva. The taronja have competed in the tournament every season since earning promotion to the top tier of Spanish basketball.

The draw pairings are as follows:

Thursday, March 26:
6:00 p.m. Casademont Zaragoza – IDK Euskotren
8:30 p.m. Valencia Basket – Durán Maquinaria Ensino

Friday, March 27:
6:45 p.m. Hozono Global Jairis – Innova-tsn Leganés
9:30 p.m. Spar Girona – Perfumerías Avenida

Saturday, March 28:
5:30 p.m. Semifinal 1: Winner of Tie A vs. Winner of Tie B
8:00 p.m. Semifinal 2: Winner of Tie C vs. Winner of Tie D

Sunday, March 29:
6:00 p.m. Final: Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2

First Copa de la Reina matchup vs. Durán Maquinaria Ensino

Valencia Basket have never faced Durán Maquinaria Ensino in a Copa de la Reina tie, as the Galician side had not qualified for the tournament since the 2020–21 season. Outside the regular league, the two teams met in the LF Endesa playoff quarterfinals in the 2020–21 season, which were won by the taronja, and also in the 2021–22 EuroCup Women, again with victories for Valencia Basket. In addition, Durán Maquinaria Ensino’s roster includes Alicia Flórez, a player on loan from the Club, and Elba Garfella, a former L’Alqueria del Basket player and part of the Mur dels Somins.

Esteban Albert quotes:

“Although it may sound like a cliché, in a Copa de la Reina all opponents are tough. There are no easy rivals. I believe Ensino Lugo are in the Copa on their own merits; they have shown they are having a great season, with players who are performing very well. We are also very happy that a player who belongs to us, Alicia Flórez, will be there. And, of course, it’s clear that we will have to be at our very best to get past a team that caused us a lot of problems in the regular league. We played there not long ago and it was a very hard-fought game in which we couldn’t really take control until the final minutes, and Ensino held on and competed strongly. So I think it will be a difficult game, like all games in a Copa de la Reina. We go there with great enthusiasm, a lot of desire, and trying, as I say, to give our best version”