By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Milan led by 14 points and entered the last period up by five (83-78) and Valencia was in danger.
Still, when all was said and done, Valencia got the 102-96 win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, keeping a solid 23-13 record and creating a tie with Fenerbahce BEKO between the second and the third spot of the standings.
Jean Montero, with 25 points, kept Valencia alive for the first three quarters, and in the end, it was a team effort with a partial score of 16-5 that decided the outcome, giving the home team a 94-88 lead with four minutes left.
Milan didn’t give up, and Armoni Brooks, who had 2o points, made it a two-point game with a three-pointer (96-94), but Brancou Badio, who finished the night also with 20 points, pushed the lead back to four (98-94) for the hosts.
Quin Ellis missed his three-pointer and the chance to trim the lead to one, and Badio made two more free throws (100-94) with 26 seconds on the clock. Leandro Bolmaro also couldn’t score for Milan, and the game was over.
Thanks to this result, Valencia mathematically avoided the play-in tournament and secured a spot in the playoffs, while Milan dropped to 17-19.