

Valencia Basket took the first step towards finishing its season on a high note as it defeated Virtus Segafredo Bologna 79-68 at home to snap a negative run of results. Valencia used a 17-2 start to the fourth quarter to take control and move to 15-18, snapping a three-game losing streak and having dropped seven of the last eight. Shannon Evans led the way with 15 points and 6 assists and Kyle Alexander chipped in 14 points. Virtus dropped to 13-20 with a fifth straight loss and seventh defeat in the last eight. Semi Ojeleye paced the Italian side with a career-high 21 points.
Virtus needed more than 2 minutes to score and Valencia went up 5-0. Chris Jones scored 7 straight points for Valencia, which pushed the lead to 10-4. Virtus answered with a 2-8 surge to take its first lead. The rest of the quarter was tight and the lead went back and forth with Virtus leading 17-19. Virtus’s defense held strong to start the second quarter, keeping Valencia off the scoreboard for nearly 4 minutes for a 19-23 cushion. The hosts responded with the next 6 points to reclaim the lead with Alexander leading the way. Neither team could gain any clear advantage with 3 points the biggest lead over the rest of the first half and four lead changes.
The game remained tight with Valencia managing a 46-42 cushion. Alexander continued his strong game for the hosts with the lead changing hands four times and it was 58-57 after three quarters. Valencia opened the fourth quarter with a 17-2 spurt thanks to 8 points from Evans and 8 Virtus turnovers to take its biggest lead at 75-59. And that decided the game.