Newsroom
23 Sep 2017
Newsroom
24 Feb 2025
Valencia Basket prepares for Turkish hell in Mersin
Valencia Basket won by 32 points in the first leg of the EuroLeague Women play-in semifinals against CIMSA CBK Mersin in La Fonteta. In a round-trip format based on point difference, it would be equivalent to leading 32 points at halftime in an 80-minute match. It might seem, then, that this 40-minute second half that will be played in rival territory on Wednesday the 26th at 5:30 p.m. and that can be seen on À Punt television is quite on track. However, some precedents against this team warn otherwise. Despite the good figures of Rubén Burgos' team in the last qualifying rounds they have played, history shows that anything can happen in the Turkish hell.
The closest example is what Lointek Gernika suffered in the first round of the EuroCup Women playoffs of the 2021-22 season, where they met CIMSA CBK Mersin. The first game was played in Maloste with a 24-point advantage for the Spanish (83-59). The joy of seeing the tie on track dissipated in a second leg in Türkiye that ended up being a real nightmare. Without the presence of Belén Arrojo due to a positive Covid-19 test already detected in Turkish lands, the Basques had to deal with several last-minute setbacks. One of them, the change of the pavilion with capacity for 7,500 spectators for another that had only 2,000 with the stands very close to the track. Already in the match, Lointek Gernika had to face the public address system with loud alarms and the Turkish anthem, all amplified thanks to the use of loudspeakers, in addition to suffering poor treatment from certain fans present there. Circumstances that the Basque team could not overcome, which ended up being eliminated from the EuroCup Women with a defeat by 29 points (40-69).
A hell for which the Taronja team must prepare, since a cushion of 32 points against this rival, who also has some of the best players in Europe, has shown that it may not be definitive. The Turks have 3 players among the 12 best scorers and ratings in the competition. It will, without a doubt, be a real battle.
Despite everything, Valencia Basket has shown in its recent past that it is good at playoffs of any kind. Since the 2023 LF Endesa playoffs that would end with the first league title in the history of the women's team, they have not lost a single match of this type. In those playoffs they made a 6-0, in the 2023 Super Cup a 2-0, in the 2024 Queen's Cup a 3-0, in the 2024 LF Endesa playoffs a 6-0 and in the 2024 Super Cup a 2-0. That 19-0 in qualifying matches has allowed Rubén Burgos' team to obtain the last 5 national titles at stake with an impeccable record. However, all of them have been in Spanish territory. Little or nothing to do with that Turkish hell that awaits.
Everything is still to be decided. This Wednesday's match in Mersin will be a tough battle, a spectacle, that the Taronja fans will be able to enjoy from their homes through À Punt television at 5:30 p.m. With hell or without it and with a trap or without it, Valencia Basket could certify its presence in the first EuroLeague Women semifinals in its history.
The closest example is what Lointek Gernika suffered in the first round of the EuroCup Women playoffs of the 2021-22 season, where they met CIMSA CBK Mersin. The first game was played in Maloste with a 24-point advantage for the Spanish (83-59). The joy of seeing the tie on track dissipated in a second leg in Türkiye that ended up being a real nightmare. Without the presence of Belén Arrojo due to a positive Covid-19 test already detected in Turkish lands, the Basques had to deal with several last-minute setbacks. One of them, the change of the pavilion with capacity for 7,500 spectators for another that had only 2,000 with the stands very close to the track. Already in the match, Lointek Gernika had to face the public address system with loud alarms and the Turkish anthem, all amplified thanks to the use of loudspeakers, in addition to suffering poor treatment from certain fans present there. Circumstances that the Basque team could not overcome, which ended up being eliminated from the EuroCup Women with a defeat by 29 points (40-69).
A hell for which the Taronja team must prepare, since a cushion of 32 points against this rival, who also has some of the best players in Europe, has shown that it may not be definitive. The Turks have 3 players among the 12 best scorers and ratings in the competition. It will, without a doubt, be a real battle.
Despite everything, Valencia Basket has shown in its recent past that it is good at playoffs of any kind. Since the 2023 LF Endesa playoffs that would end with the first league title in the history of the women's team, they have not lost a single match of this type. In those playoffs they made a 6-0, in the 2023 Super Cup a 2-0, in the 2024 Queen's Cup a 3-0, in the 2024 LF Endesa playoffs a 6-0 and in the 2024 Super Cup a 2-0. That 19-0 in qualifying matches has allowed Rubén Burgos' team to obtain the last 5 national titles at stake with an impeccable record. However, all of them have been in Spanish territory. Little or nothing to do with that Turkish hell that awaits.
Everything is still to be decided. This Wednesday's match in Mersin will be a tough battle, a spectacle, that the Taronja fans will be able to enjoy from their homes through À Punt television at 5:30 p.m. With hell or without it and with a trap or without it, Valencia Basket could certify its presence in the first EuroLeague Women semifinals in its history.
