This is what the protagonists had to say after the quarterfinals showdown between Valencia Basket and Boulogne Metropolitans 92.
Post-game quotes: Valencia vs. Metropolitans
Valencia Basket head coach Joan Peñarroya:
"We are very happy for the victory and for qualifying to the semifinals of this thrilling EuroCup season, with so many surprises under the new format. We knew it was going to be a tough game. Offensively, I think we carried the game really well, playing with a lot of balance, finding good situations. Maybe we slowed down a bit in the fourth quarter and at the end of the third quarter due to their zone defense, but even with that, I think we did well. But we had up-and-downs on our defense. We could have done better and the team knows that it has to be better in some one-on-one situations, making better use of the fouls. They punished us a lot, going to the foul line often. But it is obvious that Cummings and McRae are talented slashers in this situation. We played a good game in general terms, and are happy to stay in the competition, looking forward to keep doing well."
Boulogne Metropolitans 92 head coach Vincent Collet:
"We started too late and they had many options. We slowed them down a little bit and came back to -7, but we couldn't make the last 2-3 stops that could have given us a better chance. They were better, and deserved it. I think we played good, finished third in our group and played very well in the eighthfinals, but today, it was a step that was too high for us.
"Congratulations to Valencia for their good win, and good luck to them for the semifinals against Virtus. I think we didn't start with a good manner. We were quite good on offense in the first quarter but couldn't let them have this confidence from the beginning. I think they scored 14 points in the first 2-3 minutes. We wanted to try to slow them down and were not able to do it except in the last quarter. I think it was the only time they missed a couple of shots in a row and we made some stops that gave us a chance to come back, -7, but it was a little bit late. Again, they made the key baskets to get the win."
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Valencia Basket center Bojan Dubljevic:
"I think we did a great job. I am really proud of my team. We fought until the last moment. We played against a great, great team but we had great fans. La Fonteta today was amazing, so we continue. We have two more. We are playing maybe the best team in the list [Virtus] by the names. It is going to be really hard but I think if we have fans like tonight, we can fight against them, too."