Valencia Forces Deciding Game Against Real Madrid

Photo: ACB.com

With their backs against the wall, Power Electronics Valencia made huge plays in the second half to force a deciding Game Five with a hard-earned 81-72 victory over Real Madrid on Thursday night at the Pabellon Fuente De San Luis.

Omar Cook led Valencia’s furious attack scoring 16 points to go with seven assists and five steals, while Dusko Savanovic, Nando De Colo, and Robertas Javtokas added 12 points apiece, helping Valencia avenge their 81-72 defeat in Game Three.

“We played a great game and we deserved the victory,” said Power Electronics Valencia coach Svetislav Pesic. “It’s impossible to play every day like today. I’m very happy for the victory. The team played with great concentration and confidence.”

Controlling the phase and protecting their lead, Real Madrid were on the verge of reaching the Final Four for the first time since 1996, but Power Electronic Valencia took the lead after the third period, 59-55, and they never looked back from then on to force the deciding game.

Game Five will be played on Wednesday in Madrid, and Valencia guard Rafa Martinez knows that Real Madrid will bounce back, but insisted that they could pull of the huge road win as long as they will play like the way they did on Thursday night.

“It has been a very tough series,” said Martinez, who scored 10 points in the game. “The next game will be like a final. We have to control the game like we did today and fight. The team mustn’t give up. If we play our game, we will have chances to win.”

Regal Barcelona and Caja Laboral Eliminated

While the two Spanish ball clubs are scheduled for their series-deciding showdown, Regal Barcelona and Caja Laboral bowed out of contention after absorbing lopsided defeats in their respective series.

Led by five double-digit scorers, Panathinaikos eliminated defending Champions Regal Barcelona with a 78-67 win in Game Four of their Quarterfinal series.

Nick Calathes led his team in scoring with his 12 points, Dimitris Diamantidis and Antonis Fotsis added 11 points apiece, while Romain Sato and Ian Vougioukas chipped in 10 points each for Panathinaikos, who booked their 10th Final Four seat in club history.

Maccabi Electra, on the other hand, will make their return trip to the Final Four after hammering out a dominating 99-77 win over Caja Laboral in front of a jam-packed crowd at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv.

Jeremy Pargo exploded for 26 points and dished out seven assists, Guy Pnini added 22 points, while David Blu racked up 17 points for Maccabi Electra, who reached the final four for the first time since 2008.

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Tags: Euroleague, power valencia, real madrid

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