Matt Costello led Valencia to its eighth win in as many games in Group B
Valencia overpowers Bourg, 96-107
Four-time BKT EuroCup champion Valencia Basket remained undefeated in Group B by downing last season's finalist Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse 96-107 in Round 9 on Tuesday. Valencia improved to 8-0 in the standings while Bourg dropped to 5-4.
Matt Costello led the winners with 23 points. Jean Montero added 19 and 9 assists, Brancou Badio scored 12, Jaime Pradilla and Semi Ojeleye netted 11 each and Amida Brimah contributed 10 in his debut for Valencia. Jordan Usher paced Bourg with 19 points. Xavier Castaneda added 17, Maksim Salash 13, Hugo Benitez 11 and Maxime Courby had 10 for the hosts.
Game Videos
Salash got Bourg going with a jump hook that Montero bettered with a triple. Bourg's Kevin Kokila answered with a put-back layup, then teammate Castaneda and Valencia duo Costello and Nate Sestina each hit a three-pointer for a 7-9 score. Costello dunked and Montero bettered Usher's layup with a bomb from downtown. Usher kept pushing Bourg with a three-point play and Jean-Marc Pansa dunked in an 8-0 run that tied it at 17-17. Pradilla followed a triple with a layup. Pansa scored down low and Joel Ayayi added a put-back layup that made it 21-22. Costello struck from beyond the arc and a red-hot Pradilla scored again to restore a 21-27 Valencia lead. Courby scored in penetration and Benitez's mid-court bomb brough the hosts within 26-29 after 10 minutes.
Benitez kept pushing Bourg with a six-meter jumper that Kokila followed with a put-back layup for a 30-29 lead. Chris Jones and Costello each buried a three-pointer, prompting the hosts to call timeout at 31-35. Pansa took over with a put-back dunk and Courby made a triple, but Costello kept Valencia in charge, 36-40. Brimah stepped up with a put-back basket and Ojeleye bettered Benitez's driving layup with a bomb from beyond the arc. Brimah and Kokila traded baskets, then Badio's three-pointer boosted the lead to 44-50. Badio erased Salash's jump hook with a dunk and Usher drew Bourg within 48-52 at halftime.
Ojeleye and Jones each struck from beyond the arc right after the break. Montero's driving layup made it a double-digit game, 50-60. Pradilla scored in the paint, Benitez answered with a driving layup and Kokila's alley-oop slam gave Bourg hope at 54-62. Brimah hit a close jumper, but Brandon Paul and Usher got the hosts even closer, 58-64. Brimah silenced the crowd with a huge alley-oop slam and Badio followed a three-pointer with a driving layup for a 60-71 Valencia lead. Sergio De Larrea found his first points and Costello's triple capped a 0-10 run. Costello soon added a backdoor layup and Sestina scored in transition to break the game open, 64-80. Ojeleye and Montero allowed Valencia to get a 17-point lead, 67-84, after 30 minutes.
Salash buried a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. Costello answered from beyond the arc, Salash scored around the basket and Courby's hook shot brought Bourg within 74-87. Pansa erased De Larrea's jumper with a put-back basket and Courby's corner triple made Valencia call timeout at 79-89. Castaneda and Josep Puerto exchanged bombs from beyond the arc, then Montero's driving layup gave Valencia fresh air at 82-94. Salash scored in penetration, Ojeleye hit a jump hook and Pradilla's layup sealed the outcome, 85-98, with over 3 minutes left. Bourg never gave up but Valencia kept full control of the game until the final buzzer.