Missing 20 seconds to finish the game, Valencia Basket won 106-101 the first semi-final of the 2026 Copa del Rey basketball tournament, played at home, at the Roig Arena, until two triples from Mario Hezonja turned the score around. With 8 seconds left to play, Jean Montero had an attack to win, frustrated by the good defense of Alberto Abalde and Facundo Campazzo until ending in the free throws with which the Argentine closed his team’s path to the final (108-106)
A lethal Hezonja ruined, with those accurate triples in the last minute, the show with which Montero, author of 19 points in the last quarter and 26 in total, had put the Valencia Basket on the verge of the Copa del Rey final and took Real Madrid to that goal.
pushed by a Roig Arena in which its status as host was notedPedro Martínez’s team overwhelmed its rival with triples in the first quarter but Facu Campazzo rescued his team, which was down 18.
After the break, Real Madrid completed their comeback despite the heroic resistance of Kameron Taylor, who suffered a sprained ankle, but when it seemed that Valencia was running out of strength, ‘The Problem’ Montero appeared to get the white team into a mess from which, when it seemed like they couldn’t, a cold Hezonja took them out.
Overwhelming taronja start
Valencia Basket started with the clear idea of bombing triples his rival and followed his plan to the letter. Eight of his first eleven shots were 6.75 but, in addition, five were from his insides, which It forced Real Madrid’s centers to leave their comfort zone. The 50% success rate in those long shots gave him the first advantage and lit up a Roig Arena with a clear ‘taronja’ majority.
The inspiration reinforced the home team’s defense and their pressure on the ball and the passing line also allowed them to run. At times, Sergio Scariolo’s men were overwhelmed. Each error, and there were quite a few, was punished at the opposing basket, generally from the three-point line.
A new triple from a Valencia interior, in this case Nate Reuvers, brought his team’s income to the threshold of twenty points (34-16, m.10). Pedro Martínez’s team had just signed the highest scoring first quarter in the history of the Cupahead of Barcelona’s 33 against Tenerife in the 2025 quarterfinals.
Campazzo leads the white reaction
When Real Madrid was at its worst, Facu Campazzo appeared to rescue him. The Argentine pushed back and distributed and scored in front. All the balls went through him. Usman Garuba and Mario Hezonja followed in their wake to get their team into the match (34-27, m.13).
Exhausted but with the job done, the Argentine He retired to the bench after having left Valencia’s lead at just four points. He did not return in the four minutes remaining in the first half.
Without the rebellious Campazzo, the match was even. Walter Tavares controlled the rings for Real Madrid but could not stop the penetrations of an incisive Kameron Taylor. The first half ended with a hard blow for Valencia because Taylor sprained his right ankle when he was their top scorer until then with 13 points without a mistake (54-50, m.20).
Taylor went to the locker room limp and returned limping but was in the starting lineup in the third quarter. But Valencia, either out of instinct to ‘wait for him’ or out of fatigue, slowed down and a Hezonja barely needed three minutes to complete his long comeback. In thirteen minutes he had raised 17 points (58-60, m.23).
Before going to the bench, Taylor had time to boost his team’s morale with a three-pointer. With the North American and Campazzo on the bench, in the case of the Argentine for his third foulthe match entered another phase of even exchange of ‘blows’with Sergio De Larrea and Badio pulling for Valencia and Andrés Feliz and Theo Maledon for Real Madrid (74-74, m.29).
A triple by Matt Costello at the buzzer closed the third quarter for the locals and a 2+1 by the reborn Taylor opened the final quarter. Happy stood firm in front of the white ship but The appearance of Jean Montero once again made Real Madrid doubtwho accumulated errors from the free throw line.
‘The Problem’, as he is known, went into a trance and With ten points in a row he forced Scariolo to stop the match. There was no way to stop Montero’s inspiration, which took local income beyond eleven points (97-86, m.34).
The most unexpected outcome
Real Madrid did not give up and squeezed the centimeters of Walter Tavares on both sides of the court. The Cape Verdean changed shots, rebounded and scored from under the basket and from the free throw line but Montero was not intimidatedOn the contrary, and with a stratospheric triple seemed to send Real Madrid to the canvas.
But Hezonja kept the faith. With a triple he extended Real Madrid’s resistance until the final and He punished a loss between Montero and Badio with a steal and another triple that put his team ahead with eight seconds left. AND In the last action the Dominican failed.
Technical sheet
Valencia Basket 106 (34+20+25+27): Badio (10), Thompson (2), Taylor (20), Pradilla (3), Reuvers (13) – starting five – Montero (26), De Larrea (10), Puerto (7), Key (8), Costello (5) and Sako (2).
Real Madrid 108 (16+34+27+31): Campazzo (17), Llull (5), Deck (13), Hezonja (25), Tavares (13) – starting five – Lyles (4), Abalde (-), Maledon (12), Garuba (8) and Feliz (11).
Referees: Conde, Aliaga and Manuel. No eliminated.
Incidences: first semi-final match of the Copa del Rey played at the Roig Arena in Valencia in front of 15,221 spectators. At halftime of the match, the ACB paid tribute to the recently retired Álex Abrines, Quino Colom, Pau Ribas and Sam Van Rossom.
