FCBARCELONA.CAT

03.01.2009 19:45

Errors costly in defeat (70-74)

Sònia de Alba

Regal Barça have lost to TAU Cerámica in a game in which too many nerves led to key errors. However, they did manage to react and maintained the tension until the final seconds.

The win over Barça consolidates TAU Cerámica’s place at the top of the ACB. They are now three wins head of the Catalans, who are second (with Unicaja yet to play this weekend). It was costly late errors that spelt defeat for Regal Barça but Xavi Pascual’s charges stayed in it until the very end, ultimately let down by small details.

Hoops atmosphere

It being the festive season, and a game against none other than the leaders meant 7,585 spectators were there for the game, with Pep Sala and Monica Green added to the pre-match build-up and half time atmosphere, and the Palau getting right behind its team, also welcoming Dusko Ivanovic back for the first time since he was ousted.

Xavi Pascual was without Jaka Lakovic, who watched the game from the bench in plain clothes, but Juan Carlos Navarro was in action, starting the game and leading the points count.

Barça opened the scoring through Ersan Ilyasova, and with Navarro and Barton doing their bit, Regal Barça were soon ahead 12-4.

14 losses of the ball

But it was then that the conviction started disappearing from the home side’s play. Pablo Prigioni and Sergi Vidal (the TAU captain once again being the intrinsic engine of his team) brought their side back to 12-12, and the first period ended 17-20.

Regal Barça continued losing their grip in the second. Fernando San Emeterio was lethal on two consecutive counter attacks, both started by Barça mistakes. Igor Rakocevic also made the most of the gifts the home side was giving away, and these actions combined to put the Basques up by 25-35 four minutes before the break.

Of the 22 balls lost by Regal Barça, 14 came in the first and second periods. Things did not improve as the game wore on, with the half time score of 31-44 being extended upon by Tau to go +16 in the third. But Regal Barça were not throwing in the towel yet.

Fans on song

The crowd acted as the sixth player and got thoroughly behind their team through these troubled times. Basile, initially without any of the fortune he had in the first half, started letting his responsibility and experience show. But there was more bad news when Juan Carlos Navarro was hurt and forced out of the game.

In the last eight minutes of the game, Ilyasova, Víctor Sada and Basile combined to narrow the gap to just 68-70.

Pete Mickeal scored to make it 68-72 with 1.12 left on the clock. Pascual made clever use of the time outs he still had in hand, but the clock was running down too fast – it was time to throw caution to the wind. Andersen made it 70-72 but Splitter returned the four-point lead for Tau with two free throws 70-74. Nine seconds left, and everything was on a knife-edge. Sada and Prigioni fought over a ball that was worth its weight in gold, and it fell to Barça. Lubos Barton slipped, and it was Basile was took the final throw, but even if it had gone in, it still would not have been enough (70-74).