Unicaja – FC Barcelona: Sada and Oleson lead the way against Málaga (69-74)

FC Barcelona eked out a victory at the Martín Carpena in Málaga this afternoon. The Blaugrana were made to work hard for the victory, and thanks to fantastic efforts from Sada and Oleson in the final quarter, Pascual’s team secured their 15th win in the Liga Endesa.

Maximum equality in the first half

The beginning of the match was marked by the intensity from both teams. Barça looked to circulate the ball quickly, while Unicaja consolidated their play under the basket. After the first 10 minutes the home team led by 19 to 18.
The second quarter started off with two plays led by Pullen, which were finished off by Dorsey and Nachbar. It gave Barça their first lead of the match. But the visiting team’s advantage didn’t last long as Unicaja did well to make the most of their chances – they jumped to an 11-4 run which forced Pascual to call time out (30-26). Barça dug in and managed to draw level thanks to Dorsey, who put in an excellent effort under the Unicaja’s basket

Nail-biting second half

Unicaja, led by Toolson and Caner-Medley, dominated the first five minutes of the third quarter. An 11 to 5 run once again forced Pascual to call timeout in order to break the home team’s rhythm. The Catalan manager sent in Pullen and Oleson, and Barça reacted perfectly. Shots from Navarro, Lorbek, Olseson and a three pointer from Pullen gave Barça a 4 to 10 run, which brought the scoreline to 51 apiece at the end of the quarter.

The start of the final quarter saw Lorbek and Tomic score, but Unicaja hit back through Granger and Suárez. The match entered its final stage with neither side taking a clear advantage. That’s when Sada and Oleson stepped up. The point guard scored eight decisive points, while the American scored eight points of his own, thus leading the Blaugrana to victory. This is Barça’s 15th win in the Liga Enedsa, and their fourth consecutive win on the road.