Valencia lost the battle, but won the war against Alba Berlin as the German side won their Eurocup quarter-final second leg 78-73 at the O2 World but lost 159-132 over the two legs.
The Liga Endesa side are the first semi-finalists and will be making their third straight Eurocup final four appearance as the first leg in Valencia killed the tie, despite an act of defiance from Alba Berlin.
It wasn’t to be though. Valencia were disappointed with the loss, but they ultimately did their job in the German capital.
“You never want to lose games but Alba played great today,” Valencia’s Justin Doellman said. “On the other hand we are happy to advance to the next round and prepare for the next opponent in Eurocup.”
Doellman, who scored 33 points in the first leg, was held to just 9 points in the second leg by a determined Alba Berlin side desperate to claw their way into the tie. They were considered one of the main contenders for a spot in the final due to their consistent performances, especially in the eighthfinals, but their one showing in Spain left a lot to be desired and it has cost them a spot in the last four.
“This was a great win for us although we are out of the competition now,” said a positive Alba coach Sasha Obradovic “Valencia was the favorite in this series and overall I am satisfied with our Eurocup season now. We made it to the quarterfinals – where six Euroleague teams didn’t go – and we won all our home games in the competition.”
Reggie Redding led all scorers on the night for Alba with 24 points. Bojan Dubljevic led Valencia in vain with 14 points.
Alba tried to set the tone but Valencia matched them in most departments. And with ten minutes to play, had a 59-55 advantage as they wound down the remaining minutes. The hosts made use of Valencia’s slack fourth quarter showing, but it wasn’t enough. Valencia did their job.
