The best way to recover from defeat is to claim victory in the next match. This Sunday in Manresa, FC Barcelona returned to their winning ways after defeating La Bruixa d’Or by 71 to 81. This is the team’s third victory in the Liga Endesa in three matches. Xavi Pascual’s men were led by Ante Tomic, who scored 20 points and snagged 8 rebounds, while the youngster Mario Hezonja also had a good showing as he scored 8 points and secured 11 rebounds.
The youngsters go forward
FC Barcelona improved dramatically from their showing last week thanks to the performance from the team’s youngsters. Álex Abrines and Mario Hezonja were key in Barça’s early dominance as the team took a 10-point lead in the first quarter (18-28). The team also improved defensively and they didn’t give Eriksson, one of La Bruixa d’Or’s best shooters, any space. By the end of the second quarter, Barça were up by eight points.
Tomic steps up
Barça continued to dominate at the start of the second half, but they were unable to completely pull away from their rivals. The home team forced the Blaugrana to up their game, and the player to step up was Ante Tomic. The Croat scored nearly every one of his shots and he helped Barça maintain their six-point advantage (54-60 and 65-74). La Bruixa d’Or, however, kept on fighting and they clawed their way back to within three points thanks to a six-point run, 71-74.
Finally, the talented Maciej Lampe nailed a three pinter with just one minute left on the clock (71-77), and Tomic closed the match out with two free throws to seal the 71 to 81 victory.
