In the return Eurocup eighthfinals game BC Khimki at home defeated Valencia Basket — 97-82 (27-20, 20-19, 22-20, 28-23), but it was not enough to qualify to the next round. Our team says goodbye to Eurocup!
BC Khimki: Augustine (20 + 7 rebounds + 3 steals + 2 assists), Popovic (20 + 5 assists), Loncar (15 + 3 rebounds), Green (13 + 8 assists + 2 rebounds), Koponen (13 + 6 rebounds + 3 assists), Vyaltsev (12 + 3 rebounds + 2 steals + 2 assists), Gelabale (4)
Velimir Perasovic, Valencia Basket head coach:
— It was a tough game for both teams. From the beginning we saw that Khimki were totally different from the first game. They played really tough. Offensively they scored very easy. In the first two quarters we were better on offensive rebounds, but in the final when we thought that the game could be easier and came to 5 points, they scored 8 points in a row. After that the game was crazy; in one moment we were out, but in the last moment we were down to 15 points. For me Khimki, and UNICS Kazan are two best teams in the competition, they show different styles of the game. We played with both teams and can compare. There are many good teams in the Eurocup and we have to go and face Alba Berlin.
Rimas Kurtinaitis, BC Khimki head coach:
— I would like to thank my players for their intensity and the great effort we saw tonight on the court. Before the game there were many doubters who didn’t believe in us. Moreover today we missed two very important players in Monya and Davis. Nevertheless, we came up and even playing with six players we practically won this game. Even despite this loss I’m satisfied with the way we fought. We had not much time for preparations, but I can’t blame my players with their effort. It’s a pity we didn’t advance to the next round. I would like to congratulate Valencia and Coach Perasovic and wish them all the best in the future.
Photogallery: BC Khimki vs Valencia Basket