Valencia Basket Dominates Rapid Bucharest, Sets Club Record for Three-Pointers in Single Game

After a challenging and atypical start to the EuroLeague Women's season, Valencia Basket faced Rapid Bucharest in the third matchday of Europe's top competition. Both teams had suffered two consecutive losses (to Fenerbahçe and Flammes Carolo) and were seeking their first victory at Roig Arena. After this game, the Valencia squad won't return home until a potential second phase, as the draw resulted in their first three games being at home.

First Quarter: 30-15
The home team took the court with a starting lineup of: Alexis Peterson-Smalls, Elizabeth Balogun, Chloe Bibby, María Araújo and Raquel Carrera. The Romanians started with: Bianca-Ioana Voica, Andjela Delić, Claudia Cuic, Terezia Páleníková and Nicolett Orban. The first basket of the game came from Rapid, with a layup by Delić. Balogun quickly answered, and a furious exchange of baskets ensued: Araújo with a three-pointer, Cuic, Páleníková and Bibby all joined in for an opening quarter score of 11-6 in Valencia's favor.

Despite Valencia's superiority, Rapid didn't collapse and remained intense throughout. After five minutes, when the Romanians pulled within striking distance (13-11), head coach Javi Torralba began rotating his lineup: bringing in Marta Suárez, Raquel Carrera, Isa Hernández and Elena Buenavida. The fresh energy from the substitutes gave Valencia a 5-0 run, forcing Emilian Olteanu to call a timeout. The home team's strong interior play and incredible three-point shooting (4/7) allowed the lead to balloon to +15 by quarter's end: 30-15.

Second Quarter: 54-22
The script remained the same. Rapid had moments of brilliance, especially on offense, but it wasn't enough to match Valencia Basket's firepower. The Romanians committed numerous turnovers that the orange squad eagerly converted. As the deficit grew, the Bucharest team began to rush their possessions, their defense fell apart, and they struggled to secure defensive rebounds—something Valencia Basket was more than happy to exploit.

With a comfortable margin, Javi Torralba distributed playing time evenly, carefully managing his players' effort. Even Takács-Kiss got involved from three-point range, and after her basket and another following a Valencia turnover recovery, Olteanu called another timeout: 45-19. With two minutes left in the half, Valencia pushed the lead to +30, after several minutes hovering around thirty points. Pueyo extended the advantage even further to 32 points by halftime: 54-22.

Third Quarter: 78-37
The second half began exactly as the first half had ended. Right out of the break, Chloe Bibby continued her scoring streak with a three-pointer, followed by María Araújo. Gradually, the Romanians kept adding points, but against the impressive pace of the Valencia squad, especially from beyond the arc, they couldn't compete. Torralba ended up using all his players, including Marina Bleda off the bench. With two and a half minutes left in the third quarter, Valencia Basket led 72-34 in a game that had become a formality. Chloe Bibby closed out the quarter with a three-pointer, and Claudia Cuic added a free throw: 78-37.

Fourth Quarter: 105-47
Valencia Basket's players were determined to give the Roig Arena crowd a 100-point performance. Bibby and Pueyo made it 83-39 after just two minutes. The energy seemed inexhaustible, as the Australian continued scoring—she had landed on her feet in Valencia: 22 points with a perfect 6/7 from three-point range. An incredible basket by Marina Bleda meant that every player except Buenavida had scored at least two points: a very generous distribution of scoring. The spectacular orange basketball never stopped. After memorable final minutes, they shattered their previous club record for three-pointers in a game (20, surpassing the 18 they made against Canary Islands in the 2025-26 season). The game ended with a stunning 58-point victory: 105-47.