Erazem Lorbek stars as FC Barcelona Regal down Maccabi Electra 71-57 - Euroleague Recap
Spanish giants FC Barcelona Regal had to work hard to collect their first victory of the top 16 against the resilient Bennet Cantu last week. Their second outing though was smooth sailing as they cruised to a 14 point 71-57 win
over the Maccabi Electra, improving their record to 2-0.
Electra started the game strongly and were ahead by 7 points by the end of the first quarter, however Barcelona made a strong comeback in the second frame to finsih the first half with scores tied at 29 all.
The third quarter was highly competitive as neither team allowed the opponent to dominate completely and the pendulum kept on swinging from one side to the other. Both teams were neck and neck at 42 all in the second last minute
before Chuck Edison netted one from inside the arc to ensure Barcelona held a slight advantage entering the deciding frame at 44-42.
The first half of the deciding quarter was the replica of the third frame and neither team was fully in control with Barcelona holding onto a 53-51 lead. However after that, the Spaniards changed gears and rattled an 18-6 burst
to seal the game in a rather convincing manner.
Barcelona coach Xavier Pascual was thrilled with his teams display.
"We are very satisfied with this win in a very special venue as Nokia Arena. Every time we come here the fans make it a basketball party and it's great to play here. Both teams played at a high level. It was a great Top 16 game.
Both teams made mistakes because it was so intense. In the second half we didn't allow them to run and controlled the defensive rebounds. As the game went on we knew that we could win. In the first half we missed a lot of open shots, and if we hadn't the win
would have been easier."
Erazem Lorbek paced the winners with a game high 18 points on an accurate 5-for-5 from the floor and 5 for 6 from the charity stripe. Fran Vazquez added 14 and grabbed 7 boards while Joe Ingles nearly missed a double-double (13
points and 9 rebounds).
Keith Langford was the highest scorer for Maccabi with 17 points on 7-for-12 from inside the arc and Demond Mallet accumulated 12 including 6 for 8 from the free throw line.
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