By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
U18 FC Barcelona secured its place at the NextGen EuroLeague Finals by defeating U18 Fundacion
Baskonia-Alaves 88-53 on Sunday to finish in first place at the adidas NextGen EuroLeague qualifying
tournament in Bologna. Barcelona completed an undefeated run at the event and will now take its star-
studded squad to the finals in Athens at the EuroLeague Final Four. Baskonia, which reached the first-
place game in its first-ever NextGen EuroLeague campaign, suffered its lone loss of the event in the
first-place game.
Nikola Kusturica paced a balanced Barcelona attack with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Joaquim
Boumtje Boumtje posted 18 points and 11 boards, Jakob Siftar added 12 points, and Mohamed Dabone
shined with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Mate Khatiashvili led Baskonia
with 15 points and 3 steals, Juom Maker Bol paired 14 points with 7 rebounds, and Stefan Joksimovic
posted 10 and 6.
Baskonia enjoyed a strong start and led 1-4 after 2 minutes. Kusturica helped Barca get going, 13-8.
But Baskonia kept things close and Khatiashvili’s free throws made it 18-16 after 10 minutes. Boumtje
Boumtje scored twice in a 9-0 run to open the second quarter that gave Barcelona a double-digit lead.
Barca kept the pressure on and extended the lead to 39-20 on a Nil Poza triple. Maker Bol and
Joksimovic tried to revive Baskonia, however Siftar free throws made it 43-25 at halftime.
Baskonia traded baskets with Barcelona early in the second half and clawed its way to within 47-33 on
a Khatiashvili three-pointer. Kusturica and Boumtje Boumtje turned the tables by leading Barcelona on
an 11-3 run. The difference reach as high as 24 before settling at 67-46 at the end of the third quarter.
Barcelona scored the first three buckets of the fourth quarter to all but put the game on ice. The lead
peaked at 86-51 in the penultimate minutes as the celebrations started long before the final buzzer.