Barça have closed their preseason with a tough test at Barris Nord against Hiopos Lleida. Peñarroya’s side had spells of control but fell in the final quarter, ultimately going down 74-63 to their fellow Catalans. Now there is no room for error, but not next Tuesday and the first official outing of the campaign, the EuroLeague opener against Hapoel Tel Aviv.

The game began evenly, with Shengelia and Brizuela leading Barça while Lleida struck from distance. After falling 19-10, a timeout sparked a reaction, and Barça edged the first quarter thanks to Willy and Kusturica. A setback came when Juani Marcos injured his right foot and left the game, but the team still held a slim 34-32 lead at half-time.

In the third quarter, Satoransky and Vesely pushed Barça ahead 36-43, with Kusturica again active on rebounds. Yet Lleida rallied through Zoriks and Goloman to make it 47-46. The final period proved decisive: turnovers and missed threes cost Barça, while Agada and Walden inspired a 12-0 run that sealed the home win. Despite late triples from Shengelia and Norris, the locals deservedly took the trophy, leaving Barça with lessons to learn before the competitive season begins.

MATCH STATS

HIOPOS LLEIDA, 74
BARÇA, 63

Hiopos Lleida: Corey Walden (8), Kristers Zoriks (9), Mikel Sanz (6), John Shurna (4), Gyorg Goloman (9), Melvin Ejim (5), Caleb Agada (14), Oriol Paulí (2), Autoumane Diagne (10), Millán Jiménez (7), John Shurna (4).

Barça: Satorasnky (9), Laprovittola (4), Punter (11), Shengelia (7), Hernangomez (7), Juani Marcos (3), Myles Cale (5), Miles Norris (7), Jan Vesely (2), Darío Brizuela (5), Yousssoupha Fall (-), Nikola Kusturica (3).

Periods: 21-22, 11-12 // 15-12, 27- 17

Referees: Martin Caballero, Carlos Merino, Fabio Fernandez

    of

     

    Força Barça