Power Electric Valencia cruised into the Last 16 on Tuesday after crushing BC Triumph 85-60 to improve to 4-0 in Group B. Serhiy Lishchuk scored 18 and Victor Claver added 17 points and 11 rebounds as Valencia outscored Triumph in every quarter. The keys to the game were forcing Triumph into 22 turnovers and drawing 28 fouls, going 28 for 36 from the line. Triumph was just 8 for 13 on free throws. The hosts had their first double-digit lead in the first quarter and used an 11-0 run in the second to get to 48-33 at halftime. Then a 23-4 surge that bridged the third and fourth quarters erased any double and allowed Valencia to celebrate at Last 16 spot. Kosta Perovic added 13 points and Rafa Martinez 12 for the winners, who face Hemofarm Stada after the winter break. Triumph, which dropped to 2-2, remains in the thick of the Last 16 hunt and face Le Mans in a crucial encounter in Week 5. Pavel Sergeev and Konstantin Nesterov scored 15 points each for Triumph. Nesterov also grabbed 11 rebounds. Valery Likhodey added 10 points in defeat.

Matt Nielsen opened the coring for Valencia before Nesterov countered for downtown for Triumph. The game was close early as Nesterov followed a Nielsen three with a layup to make it 5-5. Claver and Nando De Colo put the hosts on top, but Paul Miller kept Triumph close at 12-9. Claver and De Colo fueled the Valencia attack as the lead jumped to 19-9. Triumph heated up and three-pointers from Nesterov, Sergeev and Brion Rush led a charge that brought the visitors with 2. De Colo finished the opening quarter with a basket that put Valencia up 24-20. Lishchuk made his presence felt earl yin the second half with a triple and a slam to put the hosts comfortably ahead. Sergey Varlamov and Egor Vyaltsev helped bring Triumph within 30-26. Florent Pietrus shined with a steal, basket and foul and Lishchuk followed with a basket and a triple as Valencia roared again. Martinez connected on a triple that capped an 11-0 run as the crowd cheered on. Sergeev ended the Triumph drought with a triple and would later add another to cut the gap to 41-33, but Martinez added another basket and a three to make it 48-33 at halftime.

The second half started quietly with neither team scoring for two-and-a-half minutes before a De Colo steal led to a Claver basket and an 18-point lead. Sergeev connected from downtown and that soon sparked his team’s attack. Rush and Nesterov both hit three-pointers and Likhodey added a three-point play as Triumph stormed to within 52-46. Martinez scored from the line on consecutive possessions and Perovic added points in the paint as Valencia regained control. A Thomas Kelati triple kept the momentum going and the hosts extended the run to 13-2 for a 65-48 lead by the end of the third quarter. Vyaltsev scored a basket to start the fourth quarter, but Valencia moved to kill the game off quickly. Perovic and Claver each had 3 points in a 10-0 surge that made it 76-50 as the local fans began to celebrate a berth in the Last 16. Head coach Neven Spahija was able to give reserves Ivan Garcia, Bozhidar Avramov and Tornike Shengelia minutes down the stretch of the big win.