FCBARCELONA.CAT

03.06.2007 16:37

Big win in Vitoria (76-83)

Jordi Clos

Winterthur FC Barcelona put on a commanding performance at Tau as they won to level the semi final series. The victory means that Dusko Ivanovic’s side can progress to the final in the last game in the Palau.

It was the equivalent of a final for the Blaugrana as they could not afford to lose in Vitoria on Sunday after going down in the opening match of the best-of-five series. With that in mind, the visitors were outstanding as they overwhelmed their hosts from start to finish.

Lesson learned

To ensure that Tau were not able to punish his side below the basket, Ivanovic introduced Mario Kasun to the starting line-up. With the Croatian and Fran Vázquez on the court, Winterthur Barça controlled the rebounds and intimidated the Tau centres and controlled the match.

There was a slight setback for the away team early on as Joan Carlos Navarro picked up three personal fouls inside the opening five minutes. Despite hat, Barça took the iniciative and soon moved into the lead thanks to a powerful attack that saw Jaka Lakovic prove his worth from outside the paint. At the end of the first quarter the visitors led 21-23.

Level pegging

The second period saw Ivanovic’s side continue to defend strongly that meant Tau were restricted in the chances that they were able to create. In a change from the first game of the series, the wide play of the Basque Country side was not working well and they were unable to use the centre of the court much as Barça blocked their path. The strong play from the Blaugrana in the opening half ensured that they were able to take a three-point advantage at the midway point (38-41).


After such a close game in the opening two quarters, it looked as if the action in the third could prove to be crucial as one team would look to take hold of the game and move into an unassailable lead. Tau began brightly, but Barça were able to prevent themselves from being caught out as they showed that they were prepared for the fightback from their hosts.

Navarro returns

After spending nearly 20 minutes on the bench due to fouls, Navarro re-entered the fray and quickly scored a pair of triples to help establish Barça’s biggest lead in the game (46-56). A quick burst from Tau (9-4) saw them reduce the arrears to just five points before the end of the third quarter (55-60).

That advantage was then whittled away even further at the start of the final period as lost balls and a series of rebounds going against them, meant that Barça fell 61-60 behind. All was not lost, however, as Ivanovic’s side found a second wind and fought back in the final minutes to regain control.

Marconato makes the difference

Navarro showed his worth as he continued to forge his way to become Barça’s top scorer in the game with 22 points. There was a decisive moment when Marconato picked up a loose ball and guided home a triple-pointer to put the Blaugrana seven points clear (68-75). That proved to be a crucial margin that Tau were unable to come back from and Barça were able to play on and record a memorable win to level up the series. The Blaugrana can now wrap up their place in the final when the teams meet in the next two games in the Palau.