FCBARCELONA.CAT

18.05.2007 23:37

Quarter final series off to winning start (80-69)

Sònia de Alba

Winterthur FC Barcelona won the first of the ACB quarter final matches against Akasvayu Gerona, coping admirably with the trickiest situations and eventually winning by eleven points.

Game one in this all-Catalan series was won by Winterthur Barça. In a tense encounter, Jaka Lakovic’s three pointers put Barça off on a good footing and proved decisive towards the end.

Close contact

The Palau was in a buoyant mood after the pro roller hockey team had paraded its different trophies before the game, and Winterthur stormed into an early 12-2 lead. But Gerona did not let that early setback ruffle them too much. Svetislav Pesci didn’t even call for a time out as his side reduced the deficit (12-10). Three point throws were proving fundamental even in this first period, with Lakovic bagging four to register a personal 12 in the first ten minutes.

High tension

Akasvayu showed their intent early in the second period, when a Bagaric 2 + 1 put them ahead, despite confusion from the Palau crowd as to where these supposed fouls were being committed. A Navarro three then levelled affairs 24-24 before Ukic converted six consecutive points. There was very little to pick between the sides, and the half ended with Kakiouzis getting another triple to send the teams into the locker rooms at 39-36.

Lakovic, 7 out of 10 in three pointers

The first period had seen Lakovic on a roll in three pointers, and things did not change after the interval. Navarro and De la Fuente opened the Winterthur account in the second half. Lakovic made it 48-40, Marconato added two more, and this time Pesic did decide to resort to a time out. It worked. 0-7 for Gerona ensued, which was a warning call to Barça, who immediately responded with Basile, De la Fuente and Kakiouzis scores to make it 61-51 after 30 minutes.

Fran Vázquez joined the match for the final period, but although his intimidating style was the perfect antidote to Lakovic’s scoring, Barça managed to hold on. A long Basile conversion put Barça 12 points up, and Lakovic put things out of reach of the visitors with his seventh three pointer in ten attempts, only the fourth time anybody has managed seven triples in an ACB play off, and just one shy of Aleksandr Djordjevic’s eight on May 3, 1998. Other players to have scored seven are Navarro (last season), Mike Jones (1993) and Arturas Karnisovas (1996).

Sunday at Fontajau

The best-of-five series now moves to Gerona for game two. On Sunday at 12.30, Winterthur Barça will be looking to make it 2-0 and finish things off the Friday after (25 May) at the Palau Blaugrana.