Power Electronics Valencia rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final 2 minutes to edge Le Mans 74-73 and stay undefeated in Group B at home on Tuesday. Power Electronics ties with Triumph Lyubertsy atop the Group B standings at 2-0, win wins ahead Le Mans and Hemofarm Stada, that are third at 0-2. Matt Nielsen became the game hero by hitting the go-ahead free throws with 21 seconds left. Valencia trailed 66-73 with under 3 minutes left but Rafa Martinez and Nielsen combined for all points in a 8-0 run that allowed the hosts to get an incredible win. Victor Claver led the winners with 15 points. Nando De Colo added 12 while Serhiy Lishchuk had 10 for Valencia. Dee Spencer led Le Mans with 23 points, but missed a driving layup in his team's final possession. Maleye Ndoye added 13 while JP Batista had 12 for the guests, that led most of the way and used a 0-10 run to get a 46-53 margin midway through the third quarter. It all came down to the final 3 minutes in which Valencia, backed by an incredible crowd, rallied to get an important home win.
Spencer got Le Mans going with consecutive jumpers but a three-pointer by Claver and a dunk by Kosta Perovic gave Valencia its first lead, 5-4. Ndoye and De Colo traded layups but an easy basket by Batista put Le Mans back ahead, 7-8. Perovic dunked it again and De Colo added a layup but Batista and Marc Salyers answered from downtown for a 11-14 Le Mans lead. Ndoye shined with a second-chance basket that Spencer followed with free throws for a 13-18 score, as Le Mans kept controlling the game tempo. Ndoye downed a triple and even when Claver dunked it, Antoine Diot gave Le Mans an eight-point lead, 15-23, after 10 minutes. The guests' lead peaked at 15-26 on a free throw by Negueba Samake. Martinez scored off a steal and fed Marko Marinovic for an easy layup, making le Mans call timeout at 19-26. Thomas Kelati sank a jumper and a layup by Lishchuk set the crowd on fire at 23-26. De Colo capped a 12-0 run with a jumper but a triple by Ndoye gave Le Mans some fresh air at 25-29. Marinovic answered from downtown but a jumper by Spencer and a layup by Wright kept Le Mans ahead, 30-33. De Colo kept pacing Valencia but Spencer got some help from Guillaume Yango and Ndoye for a 36-41 score. A layup by Claver got Valencia within 38-41 at halftime.
A three-pointer by Martinez tied the game, 41-41, immediately after the break. Wright sank a jumper that Perovic matched with a dunk. Claver sank a triple to put Valencia back ahead, 46-43. Le Mans found a go-to guy in Batista, that had 5 points in a 0-10 run that Salyers capped with a power layup to give Le Mans a 46-53 lead. Lishchuk followed a jumper with a dunk but Spencer and Yango quickly answered to silence the crowd at 50-57. Nielsen sank a jumper that Spencer bettered with a triple for a 52-60 score. Lishchuk and Kelati got Valencia within 56-60 after 30 minutes. Diot sank a jumper early in the fourth quarter but Claver answered with a dunk for a 58-62 Valencia deficit. Salyers and Claver traded triples but Le Mans kept controlling the game tempo. Lishchuk shined with a dunk but Spencer downed a three-pointer for a 63-68 Le Mans lead. A layup by Spencer fueled and free throws by Batista and Ndoye gave the guests a 66-73 edge with under 3 minutes left. Martinez and Nielsen rescued Valencia with free throws for a 70-73 deficit. Martinez scored again with 38 seconds to go, Spencer committed a turnover while free throws by Nielsen completed the hosts' comeback, 64-73, with 21 seconds left. Spencer missed a layup, allowing all Valencia fans to celebrate an incredible win in come-from-behind fashion!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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