Barcelona's defense locks down Panathinaikos

FC Barcelona Lassa used lockdown defense to get back on track with a 72-57 victory over visiting Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens on Friday. Barcelona ended its three-game winning streak and raised its record to 5-5, the same as Panathinaikos after the loss. A 21-9 third quarter broke open what had been a closer game that Barcelona nonetheless controlled throughout. Ante Tomic scored 10 of his 16 points in the first quarter, while Aleksandar Vezenkov came off the bench for 12 and Tyrese Rice added 10. James Feldeine and Nick Calathes scored 13 each and James Singleton 12 for Panathinaikos, which was held to 10 assists and 15.4% three-point shooting (4 for 26) by the Barcelona defense.

Early triples by Rice and Calathes gave way to big men Tomic and Singleton trading baskets until 9-9. Tomic kept it going with a tip-in and up-and-under move to make it 13-9 behind his 10 points already. Calathes with a basket and assist kept Panathinaikos close until Singleton could tie it 15-15 on one put-back slam, as he did again at 19-19 on another, giving him 10 points, too, at the end of one quarter. Petteri Koponen came in and gave Barcelona a 22-21 lead from the corner. K.C. Rivers took it back with a lane jumper for Panathinaikos but Alex Renfroe made his first basket in a Barcelona uniform and Stratos Perperoglou drilled a triple to change the scoreboard again to 27-23. Vezenkov's fastbreak layup was followed a couple minutes later by his transition triple as the lead soared to 33-25. Calathes found Feldeine for a three-pointer, but Perperoglou answered within seconds at 36-28. A steal sent Demetris Nichols away for a layup as Panathinaikos to cut the difference to 36-31 at the break.

Brad Oleson's triple to open the second half was matched immediately by Feldeine. Calathes and Tomic exchanged two-pointers at 41-38. Oleson stayed hot from deep and Rice copied him to suddenly make it 49-40. The lead hit double digits and then 53-40 as Victor Claver hit his first shot then finished a fastbreak before Renfroe knocked down free throws at 57-40. Joey Dorsey, Vezenkov and Tomic stretched the lead to 63-46 before Nichols scored the first basket of the fourth quarter for Panathinaikos. Soon Tomic fed Vezenkov for a triple at 66-50 as Panathinaikos continued struggling offensively. Finally, Singleton found Nichols for a layup, but now under 4 minutes were left to play. Singleton's block led to a Feldeine fastbreak layup and soon Feldeine was hitting from deep to lower the difference to single digits, 66-57. But Renfroe capped his first night with Barcelona by making a steal and fastbreak dunk to open the final minute and settle the matter as Barcelona won 72-57.