U18 FC Barcelona Lassa charged back from a 18-point deficit to open the 2016 EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals with an 83-75 victory over U18 INSEP Paris in Group A. Barcelona trailed by 18 points in the first quarter but turned the game around with a 24-6 run in the third quarter. Aleix Font scored 12 of his 17 points in the third quarter for Barcelona while Rodions Kurucs led the team with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals and Eric Vila added 17 points and 11 rebounds. Bathiste Tchouaffe paced INSEP with 23 points, 4 assists and 4 steals while Jaylen Hoard scored 15 points and Ivan Fevrier had 12 points in the defeat.

Hoard scored the first basket of the ANGT Finals and converted the free throw for a 0-3 lead with Font getting Barcelona on the board with a long two. Tchouaffe followed with a three-pointer and steal and layup as INSEP came out on fire with Hoard knocking down a three-ball as well in a 2-14 surge to lead 4-17. Vila snapped the rut with a trey but Sekou Doumbouya sandwiched a three-pointer and big dunk around a Yanik Blanc triple for a 9-27 advantage. Barcelona closed the first quarter with the final six points to make it 15-27 after 10 minutes. Barcelona continued the push at the start of the second quarter with the first three points to trim it to 18-27. Nicolas Dorez got INSEP on the board in the period with a triple and Hoard added two baskets to extend the margin to 20-36. Font answered with a three-pointer and Sergi Martinez converted a layup but INSEP was able to keep the Spanish team at bay and led 27-40 at intermission.

A hot Font and continued tough defense got Barcelona back into the game. The guard nailed a three-pointer to start the second half and added another basket to make it 32-40. Fevrier re-established a double-digit lead and his three free throws had INSEP up 34-45. But Font and Kurucs both nailed three-balls in a 12-0 run for Barcelona’s first lead at 46-45. Tchouaffe converted a technical foul free throw but Vila’s three-pointer finished an 8-0 surge as Barcelona was up 54-46. Tchouaffe scored his team’s next 8 points to trim the gap to 57-54. It was 62-57 after 30 minutes. Kurucs and Vila knocked down back-to-back three-balls early in the fourth quarter to push the margin out to 72-59. Barcelona still led 78-66 before Hoard and Tchouaffe hit from long range to get the gap to 80-75 with 1:36 minutes to play. But Kurucs converted a big three-point play at the other end with 1:11 minutes left to decide the game.