Zvezda stays alive by vanquishing Valencia, 92-73

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade kept up its bid to reach the playoffs after a fine second-half performance saw the Serbian team beat visiting Valencia Basket 92-73 on Wednesday thanks to 20 points from center Filip Petrusev and 15 by playmaker Facundo Campazzo, who also dished out 7 assists.
The result left both teams on 14-17 and still in the post-season picture, but while it was a morale-boosting win for Zvezda, the outcome dealt a severe blow to Valencia.
Ognjen Dobric netted 16 points for Zvezda, while Jonah Radebaugh paced Valencia with 14. Chris Jones and Jared Harper netted 12 points each for the visitors, as Victor Claver and Xabi Lopez-Aristegui chipped in with 10 each.
Game Videos
Roared on by its fervent home fans in the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall, Zvezda got off to a flying start as Campazzo sprinkled assists like early Easter gifts and his teammates benefited. However, Valencia soon regained its composure and the visitors took a 20-21 lead at the end of the first quarter after Harper nailed a tough shot high off the glass to beat the buzzer. The tide turned midway through the second after Zvezda flipped a 28-30 deficit into a 44-36 lead on the back of some flawless long-range shooting, garnished by an array of offensive contributions from Petrusev, who sank shots from various angles.
Valencia was able to cut the deficit to 46-41 at halftime but never looked likely to swing the game after Zvezda pulled away to 53-43 early in the third quarter for its first double-digit lead. The visitors were still in touch at the end of the third quarter, 69-62, but their challenge evaporated into thin air as Zvezda moved up two gears in the final 10 minutes. Live-wire Campazzo pierced through Valencia’s defense almost at will, leaving Petrusev as well as the rest of the team with time and space to do the damage inside and outside the three-point arc. There was no way back for the visitors after John Holland sank a wide open three-pointer to give the home team a 76-64 advantage with 6:41 left on the clock. Petrusev’s three-pointer on Zvezda’s penultimate possession came as an icing on the cake for the home team, which was given a standing ovation by its fans after the buzzer.