FCBARCELONA.CAT

14.03.2007 23:03

A positive impression (82-78)

Despite putting up a good fight against Turkish outfit Efes, Winterthur FC Barcelona lost by four points. Barca steadily improved throughout the game and Roger Grimau came close to forcing extra time.

The Barca players never gave up the fight even when they were trailing by 17 points (65-48) in the third period, though at that point nobody would have thought they were capable of hitting back the way they did. In a highly defensive fourth period, and without Navarro –reserved for next Saturday’s big game against Real Madrid – the Barca players held their nerve and unsettled the Turkish team. In the closing seconds, Roger Grimau had the chance to force extra time with a threepointer but it wasn’t to be and Efes, thanks to Gonlum, finished off the contest with a free throw.

Local pressure

The first period ended 24 to 17 in favour of the home side. The game started evenly balanced but two quick personal fouls by Fran Vázquez began to limit Barca’s inside game. As a consequence, Prkacin and Haislip started to make their mark on the scoreboard of the Abdi Ipekçi (14-11, min. 4). However, Barca stepped up the pace and things began to go better. Navarro, with 7 points in the first quarter, showed his teammates the way forwatd but the individual defence of the home team restricted the play of a Barca team not accustomed to a static game.

Mar conato & Navarro struggle with Gonlum

In the second period, the good understanding between Denis Marconato, substituting Jordi Trias, and Navarro, was crucial in the Barca fightback. A partial 0-7 score brought Barca within a single point (26-25). However, the timeout called by Oktay Mahmuti had the desired effect as Efes reacted with a 11-0 partial score in which Gonlum was decisive. The Barca defence struggled to cope with his versatility as Gonlum nocthed up another consecutive 12 points with his team dominating the defensive rebound. Meanwhile, Marconato and Navarro, Barca’s best players at the start of the second period, were on the bench. At the break, Efes led by 7 points (46-39).

Maximum gap

Things started badly for Barca after the break. Efes continued to score with relative ease while Barca failed to capture the rebound and find their rhythm. Barca soon trailed by the maximum difference of 17 points (65-48) with just three minutes left on the clock. Two free throws from Roko Leni Ukic in the dying seconds of the period made the scoreboard look a little more respectable (67-56).

Incomplete reaction

However, Barca reacted in a markedly defensive final period. Roger Grimau, Rodrigo De la Fuente and Roko Leni Ukic produced Barca’s best defensive performance of the game while Fran Vázquez, with 14 points to his credit, was also outstanding. He brought Barca to within 5 points (70-65) and, with a full five minutes still to go, the Barca players began to sense the possibility of victory. The Efes players were feeling the effects of their efforts, especially USA wingman Haislip, who scored 25 points. The final moments, with a complete control of the rebound by Barca, saw the vistors pull to within one point (78-77). However, a missed threepointer by Roger Grimau left the final score at 82-78.