The home team's reserves scored 31 of the team’s 79 points on the night.
Valencia’s second unit stepped up in victory over Virtus
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 16 of 34
Group Regular Season
w
l
w
w
w
l
w
w
w
w
Valencia Basket took to the court against Virtus Segafredo Bologna on Thursday night without three important players in Victor Claver, Semi Ojeleye and Jared Harper, all of whom are sidelined through injuries. This made the task of beating an in-form Virtus even tougher and for this reason, head coach Alex Mumbru urged all his players to take a step forward and fill in the shoes of the aforementioned players.
Mumbru needed some help from his second unit and the Valencia reserves delivered to help the team clinch a 79-71 victory over the Italian side. Kassius Robertson was introduced into the starting five to cover for Claver and ended the game with 12 points, having gone 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. Most importantly, he netted 2 of these triples in the third quarter, when Valencia completed its comeback to turn the game around.
Virtus took a 37-47 lead into the second half, but Valencia bounced back and outscored the visitors 42-24 after the break to get back to winning ways after losing to Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade at home earlier this week. One man who played a key role with his defense was Xabi Lopez-Arostegui, who forced a couple of Virtus turnovers in the last quarter. His hustle on both ends proved crucial for the hosts, with Lopez-Arostegui ending the game with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 drawn fouls for a season-high PIR of 15.
“In the second half we were the team we want to be,” Lopez-Arostegui said after the game. “We were 10 points down at halftime, but then we bounced back, we played with great energy, we were tough on defense and we beat the team which is second in the EuroLeague [standings], so we are happy.”
Lopez-Arostegui went on to stress that he did everything it took to make the most of the opportunity that was provided to him by Coach Mumbru due to Valencia’s injuries.
“We are Valencia,” he added. “We have a long roster, with great players, and every time you have the opportunity to play more minutes like today because of the injuries you have to show that you can help.”
In fact, Valencia’s bench scored 31 of the team’s 79 points on the night. Taking into account that Robertson started to fill in for Claver, who was in the starting five against Partizan, Valencia’s reserves netted more than half (43) of the total points.
Game Videos
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/9hK0SFuRquE/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/00b75cd0-79a5-41f5-8275-cb3ba273994a.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:20
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bb96d3f6-1448-45a3-8519-5cbfbd81ec17.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A270%3A25]()
Clyburn beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9d22acee-dcf3-40d2-b30e-b53962988c92.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A131%3A0]()
Huge put-back by Polonara! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4233ab3e-dfd5-48e7-87ee-6a9a577dd1bd.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A189%3A0]()
Clyburn goes coast-to-coast! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/sSNxEq5naNc/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/JWt32LiXnXE/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Valencia Basket-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f9ce026e-afad-4722-a730-24ec7f557292.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A129%3A30]()
Pajola's magic assist! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:37
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/08/NRWiMZQjN62Ub3EqupLu1lby2B0J87Uv-1731106233456.jpg]()
Toko Shengelia: 'The whole team should be standing here'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6ba17594-c852-416a-9cdd-d187cec4b294.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d4508ddd-4618-4ca8-b278-e1337cd04e29.jpg?crop=1132%3A637%3Anowe%3A45%3A59]()
Zizic with a big dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e0620269-6db0-4d9e-a940-8adae419938f.jpg?crop=941%3A529%3Anowe%3A112%3A14]()
What a solo effort by Cordinier! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/rpdB_bwMSPs/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Aris Midea Thessaloniki-Valencia Basket | Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/24b272d4-aa46-4393-9565-51b3fe8b3e91.jpg]()
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:07
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/dce2f361-531c-470d-bf34-8ca9a51b9638.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A106%3A25]()
Big dunk by Isaia Cordinier! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/CWQReNwRrsA/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bc9e9d81-2777-41db-9038-42d4ee3a75d7.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A126%3A85]()
Clyburn's wild put-back slam! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/sqfnk2eLEL0/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Virtus Segafredo Bologna| RS Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:43
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/23/K6GQBjP7p7EOrF6E3nsJJmGvAvnNYrJM-1729716327012.jpg]()
Will Clyburn: 'Everybody was locked in'
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/153b5012-716a-4643-b5f6-978d91549a4e.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A56%3A38]()
Rayjon Tucker gets the ball from Daniel Hackett and dunks off the baseline!
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/711bc31a-500c-4571-91eb-cec467cce94f.jpg]()
Turk Telekom Ankara-Valencia Basket | Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b781181b-56cb-4db9-8c44-dae04725031c.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A24%3A62]()
Lopez-Arostegui's magic assist! Magic Moment
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ff28af3b-c960-4df2-bced-f9cc11f531b1.jpg?crop=764%3A430%3Anowe%3A0%3A48]()
Ojeleye throws it down! Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/da17fc2b-aa4d-4b86-9785-6be82220890a.jpg]()
AS Monaco-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ba96c7c1-38ad-4579-ae05-f40d7530399d.png?crop=600%3A338%3Anowe%3A82%3A62]()
A fine two-handed dunk by Zizic! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/_F4D3JtmDtE/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Valencia Basket-Umana Reyer Venice | Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/98fe1034-e356-4b84-9203-82896f861be4.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A193%3A89]()
Montero denies Moretti! Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/X-jC_WVFHs4/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 03:51
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/10/zPGr8vSQwt24llSpgkb8DP12F86s83kH-1728594563362.jpg]()
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 03:48
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/09/cQhjRbA9q1Cmm9p0gscm01y8OatbxvGN-1728499844772.jpg]()
U-BT Cluj-Napoca-Valencia Basket | Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/30eeb859-c5ef-4068-b98c-02acae7c6aaf.jpg?crop=1318%3A742%3Anowe%3A12%3A42]()
Great no-look pass by Stefan Jovic! Magic Moment
- 03:58
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ed88dbb5-e25f-4a71-b73d-27156c691bd9.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 03:41
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/02/K57EpeZHI58SFCGEHVzbYZpH02EJQTXa-1727905651100.jpg]()
Valencia Basket-Veolia Towers Hamburg | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c5b414fa-9d2c-4fcb-84c6-bf718d8b003b.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A138%3A25]()
Magic Moment: Montero’s magical assist!
- 03:35
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/09/25/7vihwvN1OBfUL3UTKTiX7doZYsIdINyv-1727297608407.jpg]()
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem-Valencia Basket | Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 03:48
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/19/gzg3zlArH9Sbw3598C0uchsuG5etEBsE-1713559222505.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Play-In | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/73202640-13cc-4220-aaf8-d30492861648.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A144%3A126]()
Abass detonates two-handed slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/49ab4e03-3aa5-4133-9c0b-796e6ce55fee.jpg?crop=946%3A533%3Anowe%3A21%3A140]()
Dunston swats Rogkavopoulos! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:21
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/16/pd7RMU3XUOxfjB23rCOlyk4eWvPQhtoG-1713299687207.jpg]()
Abass fastbreak slam! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 03:53
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/16/BEGYjMCHONzuabEebBBwTfXd0Kcza6mN-1713298836337.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Play-In | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c0bc955d-0a6c-4566-bbcb-b9bf190aa6c0.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A74%3A97]()
Lundberg seals the win! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/73dcda18-142a-4e98-9725-73d370132ca7.jpg?crop=1185%3A666%3Anowe%3A126%3A166]()
Zizic stops Bryant! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0a75f90d-2e68-4435-aed5-b7739f61d4f0.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A74%3A69]()
Abass fastbreak slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 04:06
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/12/YZmmYcZGaOa0kV2hI0omV2GVPhh2y7aw-1712955285500.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz | Round 34 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 04:03
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/12/5aHVDwGbEneZ1P2uVaQTlKNJbCVeY0EJ-1712954731282.jpg]()
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Valencia Basket| Round 34 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/02fb6afe-83ef-4945-ab6c-393558e69f1d.jpg?crop=1447%3A814%3Anowe%3A1002%3A166]()
Abass denies Miller-McIntyre! Motorola Magic Moment
- 04:18
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/05/An56PEZVr8ONvbBHEa34t8ZCTtqV1yKq-1712351143444.jpg]()
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Round 33 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:26
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/404ecc0a-d270-4371-8feb-95a45858db9c.jpg?crop=1350%3A759%3Anowe%3A0%3A120]()
Abass's buzzer-beater! Motorola Magic Moment
- 03:56
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/04/i1nIv86fg5JiwjvkIi6Y2XkldPQWNeJ1-1712266078354.jpg]()
Valencia Basket-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | Round 33 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 03:01
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0e51805a-5418-4410-95a8-82421a7c1a73.jpg?crop=943%3A531%3Anowe%3A99%3A23]()
Daniel Hackett, Virtus: 'I feel humble'
“We did a great job,” Mumbru said after the game. “Everybody took a step forward and this is important for the team.”
With this win, Valencia improved to a 9-7 record and ended the two-round week on a positive note. After playing a couple of games in a row at home, the Spanish side will travel to Germany next week to face FC Bayern Munich on Thursday. Should its reserves emulate their performance against Virtus, Valencia could push for its fourth road win this season.
