FCBARCELONA.CAT

18.02.2010 23:41

Semi successful (77-72)

Jordi Clos

Regal Barça were made to work hard for victory in their opening encounter of the 2010 Copa del Rey on Thursday evening by a strong Unicaja side in Bilbao.

The Blaugrana lost both the first and the fourth quarters and had an impressive run in the third period to thank for steering them into the semi finals of the competition. Being billed as clear favourites to win the game itself appeared to add unnecessary pressure to the Barça team and they struggled to start the game with a flourish as Unicaja more than matched them. But Xavi Pascual’s players dug in and turned the match around to set up a duel with Power Electronics Valencia.

Surprising start

None of the 12,000 fans packed into the Bizcaia Arena were expecting the game to go the way it did as Unicaja Cajasol proved to be very effective in their shooting from outside the paint. That led them into an early 6-13 lead and saw Pascual up out of his seat to reorganize his defence. Kirksay was shining for the Málaga-based outfit and he helped them move into a dramatic ten point advantage before Lakovic and Morris were able to combine to help reduce that back down to just four points before the end of the quarter (20-24).

Change of dynamic

The second period saw Regal Barça gain more composure and their defence allowed them to concentrate on attacking at the other end. In the 14th minute of the encounter the scores were level for the first time at 29-29 and the rhythm was frenetic. The defensive rebounds continued to be a problem for the Catalan side but the introduction of Ricky Rubio gave them even more control and a quarter lead was soon established as Barça ensured that at half-time the scoreline was even at 37-37.

Moving clear

While the shooting from distance was not impressive from Barça the defence was beginning to perform and that proved to be key as the intensity helped the team power forward and effectively win the game with one quarter remaining. With the rebound situation resolved the Blaugrana looked strong and they were able to edge in front 49-42. Juan Carlos Navarro appeared to take the responsibility up front upon himself as he continued towards a final tally of 15 points. Unicaja at last looked tired and Barça were able to move ten points clear themselves for the first time in the game with the last period to come, 59-49.

In the detail

That confidence did not last long though as Unicaja scored six unanswered points at the start of the fourth quarter and set up as dramatic finale. With the Andalucian outfit finding a renewed spring in their step they moved to within a point of Barça at 63-62 thanks to a triple from Radenovic in the 36th minute. The fluidity was slipping away from Pascual’s team at a crucial time and the game came down to the smallest details. Fran Vázquez’s long-range shooting and Basile’s defensive performance were the keys to preventing Unicaja from finding those last few points they required for victory.