The absence of Trae Bell-Haynes and Homesley's physical setback in the first quarter made the challenge even tougher for a red-clad side that saw the game become increasingly difficult in the second half. A 14-0 Barcelona run at the start of the third quarter pushed the lead beyond 20 points against an Aragonese team that refused to lower its arms, applying pressure in the final period and closing to within five points. Even so, Casademont's reaction was not enough to prevent the victory from staying in Barcelona.
As a result, the Aragonese side suffered its first away defeat of the season and now has three wins and two losses on its record. That record keeps them in the upper part of the standings and still involved in the battle for the top eight places that provide access to the coveted Copa del Rey.
THE GAME
With much to gain and little to lose, Casademont arrived at Palau Blaugrana with the ambition and confidence needed to compete on the court of one of the ACB's strongest teams. García de Vitoria, who was without the important Trae Bell-Haynes, therefore opted to start with his trusted lineup of Guillem Vives, Justin Jaworski, Miguel González, Roberts Blumbergs and Laurynas Birutis.
In this way, as has been the case during this promising start to the season, the Aragonese team's performance matched the occasion. Led by captain Vives and a stellar Birutis, who was dominating Balcerowski in the paint and scoring eight of Casademont's first 13 points, an organized and serious Casademont took the game's first lead. However, after making a sensational block, Homesley landed awkwardly and had to head to the locker room unable to put weight on his left leg, in an incident that felt like a bucket of cold water for the Aragonese side. In fact, the red-clad team closed the first quarter with an unfavorable 17-8 run against a Barça side that had been boosted by the introduction of Brizuela and Núñez (24-21).
Homesley left in the first quarter and was unable to play again for the rest of the game. Photo: ACBPhoto/Victor Salgado
After play resumed, the multiple and seemingly endless reviews at the scorer's table carried out by the officials caused the game to last longer than expected and, above all, disrupted its rhythm, creating a situation in which both teams stalled offensively. Even so, as the minutes passed, Barça took advantage of its accuracy from three-point range to widen the gap against a Casademont side that needed much more from its bench players. The three-point shooting (8/15 for Barça and 5/13 for Casademont) and bench points (38 to 6) were precisely the most notable differences in a first half that the Aragonese side managed to close with a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Blumbergs (48-40).
A TERRIBLE START
After halftime, an active and intense Barça, which was shooting at extremely high percentages, opened the third quarter with a 14-0 run over four minutes that broke the game open and sent the Catalan side more than 20 points ahead. In this way, an almost five-minute scoring drought condemned an Aragonese team that was struggling to stop the Catalan offense and find a way to score at the other end. Even so, Casademont responded and, with Olaseni as its main weapon, slightly reduced the gap in the second half of the third quarter (72-57).
Barcelona's shooting accuracy doomed Casademont. Photo: ACBPhoto/Victor Salgado
In fact, the Aragonese side's run continued to grow in the decisive quarter. The red-clad team opened the final 10 minutes with a 2-12 run that once again brought the game to a boiling point. However, after adding two free throws following a disruptive foul, the Catalan side scored a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, dampening Casademont's excitement as the game once again slipped away due to Barcelona's accuracy from beyond the arc. Thus, the red-clad club, unable to match its opponent's pace, suffered its first away defeat of the season in Barcelona (99-81).
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Barcelona (71): Punter (6), Gibson (8), Martin (2), Evbuomwan (4) and Balcerowski (2) —starting five. Umude (2), Brizuela (14), Ubal (3), Nkamhoua (14), Núñez (23), Minaya (9) and Nebo (12).
Casademont Zaragoza (92): Guillem Vives (9), Justin Jaworski (6), Miguel González (5), Roberts Blumbergs (11) and Laurynas Birutis (12) —starting five. Caleb Homesley (-), Nico Brussino (15), Jaime Fernández (-), Carlos Alías (-), Juan García (-), Gabriel Olaseni (18) and Sergi García (5).
Quarter scores: 24-21 / 24-19 / 24-17 / 27-24.
Officials: Luis Miguel Castillo, Vicente Martínez and Igor Esteve.
Note: Match corresponding to the fifth round of the ACB, played at Palau Blaugrana (Barcelona).
