Barcelona sets team record with 17 threes as it cruises into Top 16

FC Barcelona Lassa overpowered Stelmet Zielona Gora 64-93 for its sixth straight win to clinch a ticket into the Top 16. Barcelona was fueled by a club record 17 three-pointers with only 9 misses! Alex Abrines led the charge by shooting 4 for 5 from downtown for 16 points, while Aleksandar Vezenkov and Carlos Arroyo each made 3 threes and scored 15 points. Ante Tomic added 12 points and Tomas Satoransky had 10 for the winners, who improved to 6-1 in Group C. The loss sunk Zielona Gora to last place with a 1-6 record. Mateusz Ponitka paced the hosts with 11 points and Dejan Borovnjak and Adam Hrycaniuk added 10 each.

First quarter: Threes by Doellman, Abrines boost Barcelona

Barcelona won the opening tip and cashed in with Tomic’s hook shot. Borovnjak answered with a score inside. Justin Doellman nailed the game’s first three-pointer, but Borovnjak scored again and Ponitka’s basket-plus-foul gave Zielona Gora its first lead, 7-5. Pau Ribas found a cutting Tomic for a basket-and-foul, but Ponitka ran the give-and-go with Vlad Moldoveanu for a layup. It was tied 9-9 after Tomic’s next hook shot. Lukasz Koszarek’s floater was met by Ribas high-off-the-glass layup. Tomic’s put-back and Ponitka’s layup kept things even. Samardo Samuels posterized Vlad Molodoveanu with a slam. Koszarek and Abrines traded threes before Hrycaniuk’s short jumper tied the game at 18-18. However back-to-back threes by Doellman and Abrines gave the visitors an 18-24 lead after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Arroyo scores 10 as visitors’ lead reaches 11

Hrycaniuk nailed a jumper for the hosts and Arroyo got on the scoreboard with free throws for the visitors. Dee Bost got going with a turn-around jumper and a step-back three in transition. Samuels powered his way to a score at the other end and Vezenkov connected from downtown to re-establish a 6-point edge. Borovnjak scored inside to make it 27-31 midway through the quarter. After the TV timeout, back-to-back triples from Arroyo and Brad Oleson gave Barcelona a double-digit lead. Bost’s long pass led to a Nemanja Djurusic slam. After Vezenkov free throws, Hrycaniuk scored inside. Arroyo connected from downtown before Koszarek whipped a pass to Djurusic for a dunk. Arroyo’s pull-up jumper gave him 10 points in the quarter, but Ponitka beat the halftime buzzer with a layup to bring Zielona Gora within 35-44 at the break.

Third quarter: 2-15 charge sees visitors push lead into 20s

Ribas penetrated and dished to Samuels for a layup. Jumpers by Koszarek and Borovnjak with a rejection on defense by Karol Gruszecki in between closed the gap to 7. After Satoransky split free throws, Gruszecki canned a triple from the corner to make it 42-47. Tomic netted a tip-in at the other end. Barcelona came alive as Satoransky drove through the Zielona Gora defense for a layup and Stratos Perperoglou drilled a three-pointer to put Barcelona up 12. After a timeout, Bost drained a floater, but Satoransky sank a pair of threes to make it 44-60. Tomic’s layup capped a 2-15 charge. Hrycaniuk scored off the offensive glass, but Doellman knocked down a triple as the lead hit 19. Djurusic hit a long jumper from the corner before Arroyo took the lead into the 20s with another three. Koszarek was credited with a basket after an interference call on Moussa Diagne to end the quarter at 50-69.

Fourth quarter: Barcelona breaks record as it cruises into Top 16

Bost found Borovnjak for a layup to start the quarter, but Barcelona remained in control as Moussa Diagne rejected Djurusic, Abrines buried a three and Arroyo made an acrobatic layup. Bost and Hrycaniuk scored for the hosts. Oleson fed Diagne for a two-handed jam – his first Euroleague points! – and Abrines connected on his fourth triple. Vezenkov made it a 25-point game with a pair of free throws. He then nailed a triple and before converting Arroyo’s behind-the-back assist into a layup for a 56-86 advantage. Szymon Szewczyk and Abrines traded jumpers. Ponitka attacked the rim for a slam, but Arroyo assisted Abrines on an alley-oop slam. Vezenkov’s third three set a team record with 17 triples for Barcelona. Djurusic and Szewczyk rounded out the scoring.