FCBARCELONA.CAT

23.03.2010 23:29

Pascual: “The final period was really good”

Sònia de Alba

The first victory in the quarterfinal series did not come easily. After a difficult third quarter Regal Barca reacted well in the final 10 minutes to take a 1-0 advantage.

It was difficult and the game wasn’t won until the last period. In fact, Barca fell six points behind in the third period but clawed their way back with excellent teamwork prompting coach Xavi Pascual to congratulate his men on their final period performance.

Here are some of the post game comments from coach and players:

Xavi Pascual, Regal FC Barcelona head coach

"We are very happy with this win. It was a complicated game in which we struggled to score from outside for 38 minutes - which was one of the keys to the game. We found good, open shots, but they did not go in. We defended well in a game that turned out to be complicated emotionally speaking, especially when we trailed by 6 in the third quarter. We were able to recover from such a complicated situation. You expect the first game of the series to be complicated - Maccabi lost against Partizan - and that was shown tonight. We are happy in general terms with our defensive level and expect the team to play better after this win. We committed turnovers that we are not used to making and did not control our emotions during four minutes in the third quarter. We managed to play better in the fourth quarter and get this important win. I have the feeling that we played better than it looks. We managed to get a lot of open shots, but missed them

Pete Mickeal

"It was a very difficult game against a very, very good team, Real Madrid. The main thing is that we are 1-0 ahead. I don't think we were nervous throughout the game. We missed a lot of three-pointers but in the last quarter we were excellent.

Boniface Ndong

“When you win, being tired is not as important as when you lose, because it’s double the tiredness”.

“Now we have to focus on Thursday”.

“The first game in a series is always difficult and Real Madrid played really well, with a good defence. But the main thing is that we won”.

“Our defending was the key. The coach told us – if we restrict the other team to 61 points we have a chance of winning. But if we don’t score and in addition we don’t defend then it’ll be very difficult to win. We have to realize that defending well is the key”.

Victor Sada

“Normally, we tighten up in defence, attack well and try and take the biggest possible lead but today was different. The game was very competitive and they took a six-point lead. We had to rely on our defensive play and our character – and it went well”.

Juan Carlos Navarro

“They didn’t score many points and that’s positive”.

"We managed defend better in the second half. We have seen how important it was for us to have a deep bench, especially in the most important moments. Our backup players did a great job and showed us that you cannot back down in a game like this. It is also positive that we allowed just 61 points. If we allow few points at home, we will win most games. The most important thing, above all, is to win the game. It wouldn't be a bad thing to play better in offence. It will be a tough series, just as we expected, not as easy as people said."

“We’re happy with the 1-0 advantage and now we have to focus on the second game”

“We played badly in the third quarter and our backup players got us back into the game”.

“Everyone knows his job in the team and that’s why I’m pleased with our reaction”.

“It was tough because we haven’t played such a tight game against Real Madrid. The lads kept a cool head and came back from a six-point deficit. In the final quarter our defending and Pete Mickeal’s points gave us the victory”.