Divina Seguros Joventut v FC Barcelona Lassa: Fantastic third quarter secures victory (56-76)

FC Barcelona Lassa secured a crucial win in Badalona. Georgios Bartzokas’ side, following their agonising defeat to Real Madrid in the last ACB match (76-75), with a convincing league win against Divina Seguros Joventut (56-76). The victory will give Barça Lassa confidence ahead of a hectic week which includes two Euroleague games against Madrid and Red Star Belgrade and a visit from Morabanc Andorra at the Palau.

The blaugranas came out on top in the Catalan derby thanks to a third quarter blitz, following a tight first half, which gave Barça a 61-34 lead they never relinquished. Koponen and Perperoglou led the charge with 19 points each making them the game’s top scorers.

Neck and neck

The game started with both sides playing well the two Catalan teams trading baskets. The first quarter ended all square with a score of 18-18 with Barça’s Claver, with eight points, and Perperoglou, with six points, playing particularly well. At the start of the second quarter the home side were misfiring in attack and the blaugranas made the most of this thanks to Koponen’s seven points. However, Joventut closed the gap with some good attacking plays of their own and the two teams went into the break with little to choose between them (28-32).

A crucial five minutes

Everything changed after the break with Barça blitzing their opponents during a fantastic third quarter in which they scored 29 points to Joventut’s six. The blaugranas attacked at speed, with intensity and they defended well. Four three pointers from Claver, Perperoglou and Koponen helped build this unassailable lead. The home side’s Neno Dimitrijevic, with two three pointers of his own scored their points in this quarter but it didn’t change the fact that the game had slipped from their grasp.  

In the final quarter, the lead was too big for Joventut to turn the game around despite their best efforts. Barça were in control and they took the sting out of the game which ended with a considerable 20-point victory for the Bartzokas’ team (56-76). The result leaves Barça level with Real Madrid and Baskonia in the ACB league.