Full perspective despite the mask: Alba’s Sterling Brown scored 19 points in Valencia Photo: picture alliance / photo booth
By Nicolas Sowa
Despite a good performance, the Alba Berlin basketball players suffered their fifth defeat in the Euroleague.
On Thursday evening, the Bundesliga team lost to Spanish top team Valencia Basket 71:79 (39:41). With just one win, Alba remains in the bottom of the table. The best Berlin throwers were Sterling Brown with 19 and Matt Thomas with 16 points.
Coach Israel Gonzalez was still without center Yanni Wetzell and playmaker Ziga Samar was sidelined. After three wins in a row, the Berliners started confidently against Valencia, who had been successful in the domestic league against FC Barcelona at the weekend.
The guests were by no means hiding and presented themselves as equals in the first half. Alba had some problems asserting herself under the basket against the physically strong Spaniards, but she worked very well defensively. Although there were fewer baskets to be seen, the Berliners were able to briefly take the lead a few times.
After the break, the guests were able to pull ahead slightly to 47:43, but Valencia immediately responded with a 9-0 run. But Alba also quickly came back and was ahead 67:63 again with a good three and a half minutes to go.
But in the final phase the guests’ strength waned and Valencia had even more trouble. So it became clearer.