FC Barcelona head to top 8 unbeaten; beat Maccabi Electra 70-67 - Euroleague Recap
With just one loss so far in the tournament, Spanish giants FC Barcelona have clearly been the best team of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague 2011-12. The way they are performing, it is safe to assume they will lift the trophy this season because they deserve it more than any other team, even more than the reigning champions Panathinaikos.
On Wednesday night, in what was their final game of the top 16, Blaugrana squeaked past Israeli champions Maccabi Electra 70-67, to become the only unbeaten team in the second round. They had already qualified for the top 8 in the second week of February after defeating Zalgiris Kaunas, however this win would boost their confidence further.
In the encounter against the Electra, Barcelona only required performances from two players to finish on top. Pete Mickeal scored 20 points on 6 for 11 from the floor and 7 boards while Marcelinho Huertas pounded 10 points on 2 for 5 from outside the arc.
Richard Hendrix led Electra with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds whereas Keith Langford registered 15 points.
Electra started the game brilliantly with a 6-0 run, however it was immediately neutralized by a fierce 15-4 burst by Regal, capped by a 3-pointer from Pete. Maccabi fought their way back in the ensuing passage and ensured Barcelona did not completely run away with the show. The scores were 21-19 in the favour of Barcelona by the end of the first frame.
Both teams displayed excellent defence in the low scoring second frame, which ended with Barcelona only ahead by 1 point 34-33. Barca started the third frame with a 6-0 run to announce their dominance, and they kept attacking in the next few minutes to maintain the advanatge. By the end of the third frame, Barcelona were in a comfortable position, ahead by 51-44.
Back to back three pointers in the opening minute of the final frame boosted Barcelona’s lead to a mammoth 13 points, 57-44. However, Maccabi did not give up and responded with an 18-7 burst to mount a sensational comeback, making it 62-64.
Maccabi kept pressing and were only 1 point behind, 68-67, with few seconds remaining in the game. They only needed a moment of brilliance to turn the game in their favour; however it was not to be as star of the night, Pete, drilled two free throws to guide Barcelona to a win.
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