2013-14FinalsGame 1
Valencia Basket Club 80
UNICS Kazan 67
May 01, 2014 CET: 18:30
Local time: 18:30 FUENTE DE SAN LUIS
Doellman helps Valencia win big in Game 1

Justin Doellman - Valencia Basket - Finals EC Valencia 2014 - EC13

Valencia Basket Club led from start to finish in taking the upper hand in the Eurocup Finals with an 80-67 win over Unics Kazan in Game 1 of the two-leg series on Thursday in Valencia. Behind Justin Doellman’s 28 points, Valencia played a fantastic three quarters and led by as many as 33 points, but a strong finish for Unics with a 2-18 run to end the game cut the margin to 13 points by the final buzzer. The 2014 Eurocup champion will be crowned on Wednesday, May 7 after Game 2 in Kazan, Russia, where Valencia will need a win, or a loss by up to 12 points, to become Eurocup champion for the third time. Valencia, in its fourth Eurocup Finals appearance, took a big lead very early in the first leg of the finals. Doellman scored 12 first-quarter points as the hosts led 27-12 lead after 10 minutes. Three consecutive triples at the start of the second opened a 24-point cushion. After going into halftime up 49-27, Valencia started the second half in the same rhythm en route to building a 70-37 advantage late in the third quarter. But Unics never stopped playing and held Valencia to a single basket over the final five minutes, while chipping away at the big deficit and cutting the margin to 13. Doellman also collected 6 rebounds and 3 steals, while Pau Ribas netted 14 points, and Rising Star Bojan Dubljevic finished with 12 points. Oliver Lafayette contributed with 8 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds in victory. Vladimir Veremeenko paced Unics with 17 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Luke Harangody scored 14, while Chuck Eidson collected 10 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Eurocup MVP Andrew Goudelock finished with 9 points for Unics.

First quarter: dominant Doellman fuels hosts

Unics started the game with Dimitry Sokolov guarding Dubljevic at center. Rafa Martinez struck from downtown to get Valencia going and Doellman dunked off a steal for a 5-0 lead. Nikos Zisis split free throws, but Unics could not get Goudelock involved due to Romain Sato's outstanding defense. Doellman buried consecutive jumpers before the guests called a much-needed timeout at 9-1. Harangody tried to change things with a three-point play, which an unstoppable Doellman erased with a catch-and-shoot triple. Oliver Lafayette scored his first points and fed Dubljevic for a layup that ignited the crowd at 16-4. Lafayette then fed Sato for a backdoor layup and a fast break basket by Doellman made it a 16-point series. Harangody nailed a three-pointer, but Ribas found Dubljevic for an easy basket and a foul shot by Doellman kept Valencia way ahead, 23-7. Eidson took over with a wild slam and Veremeenko added a three-point play, but Serhiy Lishchuk gave Valencia a 27-12 lead after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Valencia keeps rolling

Both teams struggled to score early in the second quarter, as Unics improved its defense, but kept struggling against Valencia's physical defense. Ribas stepped up with a three-pointer from the right wing and Pablo Aguilar did the same from the left before Unics called timeout at 33-12. Lafayette joined the three-point shootout to cap an 11-0 run. Veremeenko hit back with a three-point play, which Doellman erased with a corner triple. Valencia entered the foul penalty and Unics opted to play with more aggressiveness. Sam Van Rossom shined with an off-balance basket, which Goudelock matched with a six-meter jumper for his first points. Eidson struck from downtown and so did Goudelock off a Valencia timeout to get Unics a bit closer, 41-23. Martinez split free throws and Doellman scored again. After Martinez nailed a triple, Vougioukas made free throws. A put-back basket by Doellman boosted Valencia's lead to 49-25. A layup by Nikita Kurbanov fixed the halftime score at 49-27.

Third quarter: Doellman, Valencia catch fire

Dubljevic scored around the basket immediately after the break and Doellman provided a highlight with an acrobatic three-point play that boosted Valencia's lead to 54-27. Unics could not find the way to the basket until Harandogy stepped up with a baseline jumper. After Zisis made free throws, Dubljevic and Vougioukas traded jump hooks. A fade-away jumper by Doellman made it a 25-point game. Vougioukas split foul shots and a fast break layup by Harangody gave Unics hope at 58-36. Doellman made free throws and a dunk by Dubljevic caused Unics to call timeout at 62-36. Unics kept trying to get Goudelock involved, but he was double-teamed every time he touched the ball. He returned to the bench with 4 fouls, as Lafayette and Doellman gave Valencia a 30-point margin. Ribas sank an open triple that Eidson matched at the other end. Veremeenko scored down low. Ribas followed a mid-range jumper with an acrobatic layup. A wild dunk by Kurbanov only brought Unics within 74-44.

Fourth quarter: Fantastic finish from Unics breathes new life into series

Veremeenko fought his way inside to bank a shot from close range, but Ribas nailed a baseline jumper to keep the margin at 30 points. Pavel Sergeev buried a three for Unics. After Ribas ran in a fastbreak for an uncontested layup, Veremeenko slammed with two hands. A pair of free throws apiece from Eidson and Veremeenko cut it to 78-55. Dubljevic answered with a basket from close range, but Veremeenko and Goudelock hit more free throws before Goudelock drove for a layup to get Unics within 80-61 with 80 seconds to go. However, the run from Unics did not stop there. The visitors made several more defensive stands, while Sergeev hit a pair of foul shots and Veremeenko added a put-back, before Harangody made a steal on an inbound pass and raced for a fastbreak dunk to round out the scoring and leave the Eurocup Finals wide open.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Javier Gancedo, Valencia
No results found.
Referees: RADOVIC, SRETEN; SAHIN, TOLGA; LATISEVS, OLEGS
Attendance: 8500 (Tentative)
By Quarter1234
Valencia Basket Club2722256
UNICS Kazan12151723
End of Quarter1234
Valencia Basket Club27497480
UNICS Kazan12274467
Valencia Basket Club
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
4 TRIGUERO, JUAN JOSE DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
5 RIBAS, PAU 25:07 14 4/6 2/4     2 2 1   1     1 1 12
7 DOELLMAN, JUSTIN 30:35 28 8/11 2/5 6/7 2 4 6 1 3 1     2 7 35
9 VAN ROSSOM, SAM 20:17 2 1/2 0/3   2 2 4 3 2       3 1 5
10 SATO, ROMAIN 28:13 2 1/2     1 4 5 1         2   5
12 LISHCHUK, SERHIY 8:17 4 0/1   4/4   1 1     1 1   5 1  
13 LUCIC, VLADIMIR 13:08   0/1 0/1     2 2 1         3   -2
14 DUBLJEVIC, BOJAN 31:33 12 6/9 0/1 0/1   4 4     2     3 4 10
17 MARTINEZ, RAFA 12:22 7   2/3 1/2           1     4 2 2
20 LAFAYETTE, OLIVER 21:03 8 1/2 1/7 3/3   5 5 7 1 4     2 4 12
24 ABIA, LARRY DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
34 AGUILAR, PABLO 9:25 3   1/1     1 1   1 1     3   1
Team             1 1               1
Totals 200:00 80 21/34 8/25 14/17 5 26 31 14 7 11 1 0 28 20 81
        61.8% 32% 82.4%
Head coach: PERASOVIC, VELIMIR
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
UNICS Kazan
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
4 McKEE, TYWAIN 7:53       0/2       2 1 1     2 2  
6 ZISIS, NIKOS 34:59 3 0/2 0/3 3/4   2 2 4 1       3 5 6
7 HARANGODY, LUKE 22:37 14 5/6 1/6 1/1 1 2 3   1 1     2 2 11
10 SERGEEV, PAVEL 11:42 5   1/1 2/2   1 1 1         2 1 6
12 VEREMEENKO, VLADIMIR 24:11 17 5/6   7/8 3 2 5   1 2   1 4 7 21
15 VOUGIOUKAS, IAN 11:10 5 1/3   3/6   1 1           1 3 3
17 KOLESNIKOV, EVGENY DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 SOKOLOV, DMITRY 4:35               1             1
22 ANTIPOV, PAVEL 3:42     0/2             1     1   -4
30 GOUDELOCK, ANDREW 24:19 9 2/6 1/3 2/4   1 1 1   2     4 2 -1
31 EIDSON, CHUCK 39:56 10 1/2 2/5 2/2 2 9 11 4 1 3     2 4 21
41 KURBANOV, NIKITA 14:56 4 2/4 0/3   2 3 5     1         3
Team             3 3     2         1
Totals 200:00 67 16/29 5/23 20/29 8 24 32 13 5 13 0 1 21 26 68
        55.2% 21.7% 69%
Head coach: TRINCHIERI, ANDREA

Head Coaches

PERASOVIC, VELIMIR
Valencia Basket Club
"I think it is a good result for us in general terms. Of course, we left with a bitter taste because we would have liked to keep a bigger lead. I give our opponent a lot of credit for their rally. The team had a great game, dominating it for three quarters, but in the last six minutes we lacked strength and concentration, rushed our shots and stopped playing defense. We picked up a lot of loose ball fouls that cost us free throws and made our opponent's work easier. We knew this is an 80-minute series and after 40 of them, we have a good lead, which is not definitive. We still have a war to attend in Kazan against a talented, experienced team. We have to keep our strength and play the best game possible. In order to win the title, we have to play two good games. We looked euphoric and everything looked easy, but the game lasts 40 minutes and they were the better team in the fourth quarter. It is a lesson for Game 2. We have to play another game against a team that had beaten powerful squads at home by a lot of points. We will fight as much as we can and try to win the title at their place. This is just their fourth loss all season. Unics beat Lokomotiv Kuban by 20 and Khimki by more than 15. They have a lot of talent and we are facing a tough game. We need to play with energy and be focused, knowing that we are playing for a title."
TRINCHIERI, ANDREA
UNICS Kazan
"I congratulate Valencia on an amazing game. We had a very tough night and we were about to die, basketball-wise. We were outplayed for three quarters without any energy, intensity or mental toughness. This was the first time in my life in a final that one of my players – more than one – forgets the plays and the system. I don’t say this to expose them, but I say this because we were not ready. For three weeks I have been telling them Valencia will push, hold, press, do the things that win games. They did it and we were not ready. When we were down by 32, I was thinking that my team, after the way we played all season, we didn’t deserve this. And I asked them to have a great fourth quarter. We had a 1% chance, but we managed to survive. "

Players

RIBAS, PAU
Valencia Basket Club
"We ran out of gas! We are a team whose biggest skills are speed and aggressiveness at both ends. It was hard for us to stay focused. If we were able to run like this and stay focused, we wouldn't be here! It is complicated, but we have to analyze this and think that a 13-point lead is a very good result. I believe we managed to stop their strengths. We had some problems against Veremeenko in second-chance opportunities and backdoor situations; he is a player who hurts us the most. Eidson is an all-around player that helps the team in many ways, but we knew that already. We knew how they would try to play - and I think we did a great job for the best part of the game. It is a shame, but we have to be ambitious and realize that we now have more chances than at the beginning of the game."
VAN ROSSOM, SAM
Valencia Basket Club
"We missed couple of open looks and they made a run. We lost a concentration a little bit. I think it is our own fault, we had the game, we could have had a much bigger margin. It is what it is, but 13 points is not bad, either. We finished a game with a bad taste because we threw away a bigger advantage. In a final anything can happen, and 13 points is 13 points. I'd rather be in our position than in theirs right now. One way it is a good results, the other way we could have had better."
SATO, ROMAIN
Valencia Basket Club
"We have played like this lately. Against Real Madrid we played like this, and Madrid came back. Tonight the same way. We lost our concentration, our focus. We have to use the shot clock, we don't need to play fast. We are playing like we are down by 30 or 15 points, trying to get a basket. So hopefully we can change that in the next game. That's the final. They don't give up. We knew that before they won't give up, and will play to the end. On our part, we did a good job playing three quarters, but you got to play four quarters of basketball. We have to defend our lead. 13 points is not a lot, but we still have to play basketball. We got to go there and play to win. Hopefully we make adjustments to play better, not only 30 minutes, but all 40."
ZISIS, NIKOS
UNICS Kazan
"We knew Valencia could do this to us; this was exactly what we were afraid of and what we wanted to avoid. Still, we had a great fourth quarter. I’m proud of our guys because any other team here losing by 30 would probably end up losing by 40. We kept our heads up and I think we played a little bit smarter on defense. We used our bodies a little bit more. We are confident and feel that we have a chance still. "
GOUDELOCK, ANDREW
UNICS Kazan
"They beat us down for most of the game, but in that fourth quarter we really stepped up and figured out a few things, started playing defense and executed. We feel pretty good about ourselves going into Kazan. Their game plan was really good; they did a lot of double teaming, really tough shows on defense and they rebounded really well. It was a tough game for us, but it’s we got the first one out of the way, we saw what they are going to do and we need to make adjustments. Right now we feel very confident because we could have been down by 30. That’s what we were down by and it wasn’t looking very good for us. We found some life at the end which gave us a little juice going into the next game. We have nothing to hang our heads about. It was a tough game for us against a good team in a tough atmosphere. We haven’t lost at home,. So we’ll see what happens. "
HARANGODY, LUKE
UNICS Kazan
"We needed to give ourselves a chance to go back to Kazan. Down by 13, it’s not what we wanted, but after the way we played tonight we’ll obviously come out of here with a little momentum. We came out flat. We probably played one of our worst games of the year, myself included. I couldn’t hit anything. We were getting good lucks, but we were just too rushed. "
No results found.