FCBARCELONA.CAT

10.06.2007 15:07

Fifth game to be played (71-77)

Sònia de Alba

Victory for TAU this Sunday means there will be a fifth and final game to be played in the ACB semifinal. Barça were put under pressure from a strong defence which forced them into attempting risky throws.

TAU came out winners in a match up that went from end to end. Barça paid for early lapses at the start of the first and third periods, however, Dusko Ivanovic’s men were not short on chances to get themselves back in the game. Had this third match up in a row, they would have made it to the final and qualified for next season’s Euroleague. The fifth and final encounter will be played on Tuesday in Vitoria.

Highs and lows

Luis Scola started off the scoring and despite efforts from Mario Kasun, the Argentine centre, accompanied by Fred House and Serkan Erdogan, forced Ivanovic to take time out early on (4-10). This continued the way they were, however, Gianluca Basile and Denis Marconato were able to prevent the Basque team from pulling further away.

In the second period, the blaugrana’s defence came out strong. They found themselves back in the game and took the lead after 5 minutes and 27 seconds (22-20); during this time, the action was non-stop. The pace of the game continued until the break, with the home team leading by just 1 point 34-33.

Lacking intensity

T he blaugrana’s energy levels dropped after the break, “lacking intensity” said Ivanovic. Splitter, Rakocevic and House took full advantage of this and took their team into the lead again (38-43). Barça did mount a comeback, although they found it tough against some great defence, A three pointer from Navarro and 4 points from Jaka Lakovic, who was top scorer with 25, finished the period with Barça down by 4 (57-61).

Scola off

Winterthur FC Barcelona came out strong in defence; a block by Grimau, a three pointer from Basile and then Luis Scola picking up his fifth foul, set the precedence of a tense finale. With TAU without their best player, Barça began to gain confidence. Roko Leni Ukic took Barça into the lead, however, TAU were far from finished and stormed back into the game near the end to draw the series level and force a fifth and final match up in Vitoria on Tuesday.

From Palau to the Buesa Arena

Despite 40 minutes of continual support from the crowd in Palau, the focus now turns to the final game at the Buesa Arena. The decider will be played on Tuesday at 20:45 (Canal 33).

Click HERE to view the game statistics