The Spanish team celebrated moving into its new home with a sublime performance
Rampant Valencia throws house-warming party to beat Virtus, 103-94



Valencia Basket made it two wins out of two in the EuroLeague with a superb 103-94 victory over the visiting Virtus Segafredo Bologna, marking a perfect start in the Spanish side’s glittering new Roig Arena.
Having ground out a 77-80 win at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in the opening round, Valencia fired on all cylinders and gave its fans plenty to cheer about after returning to Europe’s premier club competition after a one-year sabbatical in the BKT EuroCup.
Sergio De Larrea paced Valencia on 23 points, shooting 5 of 7 from downtown to cap an excellent individual performance as the hosts put the pedal to the metal in the second half.
Kameron Taylor chipped in with 15 points for Valencia, Nate Reuvers scored 14 while Omari Moore and Darius Thompson added 13 apiece, the latter sinking a flurry of three long-range shots early in the third quarter which put Valencia firmly in the driving seat.
At the other end, Matt Morgan led Virtus and all scorers on a game-high 24 points, while Carsen Edwards and Derrick Alston amassed 15 each for Virtus, which dropped to 1-1 after the opening 74-68 home upset of more fancied Real Madrid.
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Virtus made a bright start as a couple of three-pointers by Edwards propelled the visitors into an 11-15 lead, but a 13-4 run by the hosts turned the tide and Valencia never looked back after engineering a 26-23 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Delightful layups by Moore and relentless offensive rebounding allowed the home team to romp ahead 42-30 before Virtus produced a brief comeback which slashed the halftime deficit to 49-46, as Valencia stayed ahead despite shooting only 3 of 15 from downtown.
Enter Thompson. Subdued in the first half, the former Anadolu Efes guard unleashed his venom from distance early in the second as Valencia pulled away to 60-48 on the back of an 11-0 run.
Led by the brilliant Morgan, however, Virtus refused to roll over and the Italian side was back in contention after closing the gap to 75-71 at the end of the third quarter, setting the scene for a grandstand finale.
That did not happen as Valencia, leading 77-73 early in the fourth, found an extra gear and effectively sealed the contest with a decisive 17-6 run which forced Virtus into submission.
The visiting team fought hard to stay in touch but there was no way back as on-song Valencia made sure of a memorable night for the jubilant Spanish fans in their new home.