FCBARCELONA.CAT

12.02.2009 23:24

Ilyasova shines as Barça triumph (85-69)

Carles Cascante

Ersan Ilyasova was outstanding as FC Barcelona recorded an impressive victory against Alba Berlin with him being given 30 out of a possible 39 valuation points for his defensive role in the win.

Barça were under no illusions that their opponents on the night would be difficult and so it proved to be as the German visitors ensured that things were very even for the opening 20 minutes of the game. The Germans' versatility stood out with their inside and wide men all performing well as Chubb and Jenkins both stood out. in the second half though, the Blaugrana took control and showed up their defence before pushing ahead on the scoreboard at the other end.

Even first half

The first two quarters had their highlights, but not many of them came from the hosts. Ilyasova did net his first two triples of the evening and that ensured that Barça took a 15-9 lead, but problems arose when personal fouls were committed after Fran Vázquez had gone on to replace Santiago. That weakened the interior play of the Blaugrana slightly and the Berlin outfit took advantage as they moved to within just two points at 19-17.

In the second quarter and early triple from Basile helped, but Jenkins was on hand to push his team forward and the visitors looked to cause problems on the wings with wide shots. A basket from out wide saw Berlin tak a 26-31 lead, the most that they enjoyed throughout the game, but Barcelona did make a comeback and were to within a point when half time arrived (37-38).

Good defence

It was in the third period that the final outcome of the game was virtually decided. Xavi Pascual's side tightened up their defence and their shooting from outside the paint and strength with rebounds meant that they moved into what proved to be an unassailable lead. Ersan finished the encounter with six out of seven triples and caught eleven rebounds and that was crucial in the Blaugrana's ability to win the period 23-7.

Exchanging of baskets marked the fourth quarter down as an entertaining one as players such as David Andersen began to shine as he netted ten points. Juan Carlos Navarro chipped in with 13 for himself and Pascual was constantly off his seat to tell his side what he wanted to see. The game was part of the initiative 46664, the number Nelson Mandela wore during his time in prison, which aims to help fight against certain injustices like the AIDS virus and other problems that affect humanity. The players threw some shirts that carried the logo of his initiative into the crowd before the encounter.