By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Barcelona was trailing 28 – 33 at halftime but stepped on the floor completely transformed in the second half to beat Unicaja Malaga 82 – 70 and check the last remaining ticket for the Copa Del Rey semifinals.
While Tyrese Rice scored a game-high 20 points, dished out 7 assists and hit the dagger for the 78 – 66 with one minute to go, the difference maker for the winning squad was Marcus Ericsson. The young Swede scored 9 out of his 18 points in the end of the third period to help the Blaugrana change the 41 – 41 into 53 – 45. He also gave his team a much needed flair beyond the arc with 4/7.
Despite getting bashed in the 30 – 18 in the third quarter and being down 58 – 51, Unicaja didn’t give up making it a one-possession game, 64 – 61, 4 minutes into the final period. Yet their many turnovers even by their top contributors as Nemanja Nedovic (16 points) and offensive problems gave Barca the opportunity to answer with a 7 – 0 run that pushed them further towards to the winning direction.