16.12.2010 21:44

Thrilling reverse (88-87)

Jordi Clos

FC Barcelona Regal missed out on taking their Euroleague game against Lietuvos Rytas into overtime when Ricky Rubio could not find the net in the closing moments of the thriller in Lithuania.

Fran Vázquez sank 27 points for the visitors but it was still not enough as the defending European champions were beaten for the third time in the competition group stage this term. Each time the Blaugrana pushed up and looked to take control of the game their opponents had a strong answer and battled back to belie their standing in Group C. After going behind Barça did then look capable of bouncing back but Rubio missed the third of three free throws and with time almost up Lietuvos were able to celebrate a big win.

Great start

The home team showed their intentions from the start as they made a stunning start to the game and surged into a 6-1 lead while Barça took three minutes to sink their first basket of the game. With a record of 1/11 in front of the basket, Lietuvios were able to increase their confidence and were 11-3 ahead after five minutes of the game. A time out was called by the visitors' coach Xavi Pascual and he chose to make several changes which proved fruitful as the deficit was reduced to 15-9 with eight minutes of the game gone.

Navarro returns

The Lithuanian side were moving the ball around well and they produced plenty of shooting opportunities and were able to head into the first turnaround with a 19-13 advantage. The start of the second half saw Jasikevicius and Vázquez go head-to-head in an entertaining struggle as one stood out for the hosts, controlling their play, and the other attempting to drive his team forward and break down a difficult home defence. Juan Carlos Navarro came forward and helped Barça to score nine points in quick succession to pull closer at 24-22.

Strong opponents

Barça have been able to finish off opponents after a good period of play but on this occasion Lietuvos did not drop back and instead saw Bjelica come to the fore to lift into an 11-point lead at 40-29. Still Barça kept going and Víctor Sada sank a buzzer beater before the break and Pascual was left to pick up his players with the score standing at 40-34.

Energetic display

Slovenian star Ezram Lorbek came on for the third period and helped Barça to a more energetic start with the early exchanges going very much in their favour as they netted regularly to pull to within two points, 48-46. For the first time in the encounter things were completely turned around when the visitors took the lead, albeit briefly, at 50-52. Just as in the first half though, the hosts fought back and Barça could not stop them once again as they quickly moved back in front and by the end of the third quarter were 60-55 up.

No triple

The start of the last period looked to be decisive as the Lithunanian side scored seven unanswered points and were 12 points clear, but Barça's defence regrouped and they pressed forward to reduce that gap by nine, 75-72. Ricky Rubio then made the gap two and it stayed like that as both teams added points from within the paint. A thrilling finale was set up when Rubio was fouled with 2.2 seconds on the clock for a wild three. With Barça behind by three points Rubio took the responsibility of taking the throws. After making the first two the youngster had the chance to force over-time but his shot hit the rim and went out and the hosts celebrated.