By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
ALBA Berlin delivered one of the biggest upsets of the season by defeating Barcelona 74 – 70 at home to capture just its third win. The Albatrosses had a strong defensive second half to triumph over their powerhouse of an opponent.
Five players scored in double figures from ALBA. Matt Thomas led this balanced team performance with 13 points and Johannes Thiemann added 12 points plus seven rebounds.
“We played a great game, especially on defense,” Thiemann said. “At the end, we made our shots. We almost gave it away in the last two minutes, but I’m really happy we got the win.”
“It came down to competing,” Thomas mentioned “It’s also a game we can learn a lot from because, in the end, we didn’t execute well. But a win is a win and we’re going to take it any day.”
On the other hand, Nicolas Laprovittola was the only Barcelona player to finish in double-digit numbers, dropping 15 points. His team shot the ball poorly (6-24 3-pointers) and was unable to find a solid offensive rhythm after the break.
A different affair in the second half
“Proud,” said ALBA coach Israel Gonzalez on how he feels after such a win. “It was the spirit they showed today. We didn’t start the game well. but we showed a great spirit, everyone working for their teammate. we defended very well in the third quarter especially and we rebounded well. it was a step forward today for our defense and I’m very happy about that”.
ALBA entered the second half with an 11-0 run to go ahead 47 – 41 and managed to push back Barca’s efforts to regain a lead. The hosts even went up by 13, 70 – 57 with five minutes to play but it wasn’t over yet.
Barcelona made a comeback effort with a 0 – 8 run and approached by a shooting distance when Laprovittola scored for 73 – 70 with a minute remaining. That was the last they scored though since both the Argentinian guard and Nikola Kalinic missed game-tying attempts while ALBA held on to get this big win.
“We knew that they can come back and they are a good team if you let them play their game,” Barca coach Roger Grimau said.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net