By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Cory Higgins emerged as the hero of the night for Barcelona as his game-winner with one second remaining handed the team an 88-86 victory over Gran Canaria and a ticket to the Liga Endesa semifinals.
Barcelona struggled for three quarters against GranCa’s defense, before Nikola Mirotic took control to lead his team to score 9 of his 21 points in the final period.
Nico Laprovittola added to Sarunas Jasikevicius’ squad efforts with 17 points and five rebounds, Higgins had 12 points including the game-winner and Brandon Davies left the court with 10 points and five rebounds.
Dylan Ennis posted a game-high with 26 points for GranCa though his efforts weren’t enough to force Game 3 in the series.
2021-22 EuroCup Rising star and top Senegalese draft prospect Khalifa Diop, who was recently invited to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago this past week, wrapped up his ACB season with 15 points on 6-of-7 FG, four rebounds, and one assist against Barcelona.
The 20-year-old big man posted averages of 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 16.4 minutes across 32 Liga Endesa games this season, while he scored an average of 5.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 15.2 minutes in 20 EuroCup contests.
Barcelona will face the winner of the Joventut Badalona – Lenovo Tenerife pair (1-1) in the upcoming semifinals. Real Madrid has also punched a ticket to the next round and awaits the winner of the Valencia – Baskonia matchup (1-1).
Photo credit: ACB.com