Barça Regal bounced back from the poor form it has shown over the past couple of weeks. This Thursday in Istanbul, Xavi Pascual’s men came away with a very important victory that surely gives them peace of mind for their upcoming matches in the continental competition. The Blaugrana, led by Tomic this evening, are currently third in the Euroleague’s Group F.
Winning on the road isn’t easy but Barça Regal managed to get their second win of the year in Istanbul. They beat Besiktas in the first phase of the competition (48-78) and they did it again this Thursday. Mickeal, despite dealing with an injury, was named to the starting five and the youngster Mario Hezonja also got some playing time.
Very even at the start
Despite both teams not being on target at the start of the game, Barça Regal had a 10-15 halfway through the fist quarter. The Blaugrana, with Lorbek coming off the bench, scored seven consecutive points but the Turkish team with Vidmar and Markota fought to keep their team within striking distance. The first quarter came to an end with 32 to 34 on the scoreboard.
The scales tip in Barça Regal’s favour
Jerrells, Beskitas’ best player, was very active in the second half. The Turkish team enjoyed long possessions and Barça Regal were made to work hard to close down the passing lanes and shooting opportunities. However, Tomic and Jawai's dominance in the paint, Mickeal’s leadership ability and Sada’s work ethic gave Barça the edge going into the third quarter.
It all came down to the last 10 minutes. Besiktas started utilizing a zone defence, but Barça Regal were patient enough to find a way through. Two three pointers from Wallace and Ingles sealed the win. The buzzer blared with 59 to 73 on the scoreboard for the Blaugrana.
