By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In a close game from wire to wire, Cory Higgins hit the biggest shot of the night and led FC Barcelona the 83-77 win over Valencia Basket. With the game on the line, Higgins scored a three with just 18 seconds left to make the score 81-75 and giving a crucial six-point lead that secured the outcome.
In total, Higgins had 20 points, and Barcelona remains the only team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with a 5-0 record. Nikola Mirotic added 17 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Adam Hanga scored 13 and dished six assists.
The hosts had a small lead until halftime (44-41), Valencia entered the last period with a three-point advantage (65-62), and Barcelona got a 12-3 run, making the score 74-68 in their favor. And then the real dogfight started.
A three by Jordan Loyd cut Barcelona’s lead to one (76-75) entering the last minute of the game. Brandon Davies answered with two free throws (78-75), Loyd was called for an offensive foul and Higgins sealed the deal with his three. Loyd finished the game as the top scorer of Valencia with 17 points and Bojan Dubljevic had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Pesic: “My players didn’t give up”
Coach Svetislav Pesic is notoriously hard to satisfy, but this time around he had only good things to say about his team which is still missing point guard Pau Ribas, Malcolm Delaney and Thomas Heurtel: “In a short time, this is our third game against Valencia. We are happy because one more time we gave our best in a tough moment, and I want to say congratulations to my guys for their energy and concentration. They didn’t give up and I like this very much. I enjoyed this game because the best way to improve is by playing close games. We had a very good balance in five against five situations and in our transition play. Now we prepare for the next game in Milan.”
On the other hand, Valencia coach Jaume Ponsarnau didn’t hide his disappointment: “I think we competed well against a very good team. Without the last minute of the second quarter and the last minute of the game, the victory was probably ours. We competed at a high level throughout the game, with a lot of determination, and never let the game get out of control. We just lost our consistency in the final minute of both halves. We have to take the good things out of the game.”
Photo credit: EuroLeague