Barça achieves its seventh victory in the Endesa League against Breogán

The match between Barça Basket and Río Breogán was set to be one of the highlights of the seventh round of the Liga Endesa, taking place at noon in the Palau Blaugrana. The Catalans arrived on a winning streak, having accumulated six consecutive victories in both the domestic competition and the EuroLeague, while Luis Casimiro's team had a 4-2 record after winning the Galician derby the previous week.

Historically, the blaugrana's dominance over the Lugo team was overwhelming, with a record of 47-5 in favor of the blaugranas. Since March 17, 2024, Breogán had not managed to win on Barcelona's home ground, and Barça maintained their unbeaten home record since the start of the official season. A victory in this match would bring the Catalans closer to their goals in the race for the Copa del Rey in February.

A balanced first half with offensive dominance from Breogán

The match began with a statement of intent from the Galician team. Tevin Brown opened the scoring with an early three-pointer, setting the tone for a determined Breogán. However, mistakes, inaccuracies, and the low initial success rate of Barça allowed the Catalans to take the lead 17-10, with Brizuela leading the pace of play on a special day for him, coinciding with his anniversary.

Nevertheless, Breogán responded quickly. By the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read 23-20 in favor of Barça, with the Galicians dealing blows through three-point shots, a characteristic weapon of Casimiro's team. The second quarter was challenging for the hosts, who scored only 16 points in ten minutes, allowing Breogán to stretch the lead. With six three-pointers made out of fifteen attempts in the first half, the Lugo team went into halftime ahead 40-39, completely reversing the initial trend.

Tevin Brown was the only player in double digits scoring in the first half with 10 points. Just before halftime, Kevin Punter had to leave the locker room early due to a knock, foreshadowing complications for the final stretch of the match.

Barça's defensive reaction and Breogán's three-point disaster

The resumption of the match left Punter off the court, not able to play more minutes due to ankle discomfort. Midway through the third quarter, Evbuomwan joined him after another blow to the side, complicating the circumstances for the blaugranas even further. Despite these issues, Breogán maintained their lead on the scoreboard for much of the third period.

Balcerowski became the protagonist of the blaugrana response, making 2+1 plays that energized the Catalans. Nkamhoua effectively supported him, forming a duo that inflicted damage in the paint. The Polish center finished with 12 points, while the Finnish power forward added 11 points. Meanwhile, Breogán maintained their collective attack, led by Brown and Mavra, always looking to punish from beyond the arc. This section also featured good minutes from Brimah in his debut.

However, disaster struck for the Galicians in the three-point shooting department. They concluded the match with a disheartening 9 of 30 in three-point attempts, a percentage that proved decisive in the final outcome and contrasted sharply with the effectiveness displayed in the first half.

The final quarter: 30 points of absolute dominance

The last quarter was the verdict. Barça scored 30 points in the final ten minutes, a figure that proved impossible for Breogán to counter. The pace set by Brizuela, the defensive and offensive versatility of Tyrese Martin —who finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and a rating of 22— and the decisive plays from Balcerowski were crucial in this stretch.

Martin was especially effective in all facets of the game, demonstrating his ability to contribute beyond scoring. Sekulic's team executed a high-level basketball, exploiting the spaces created by a Breogán team that couldn’t find defensive answers.

Parra contributed with 16 points, Balcerowski closed with 14, Brizuela scored 16, and Robinson added 13 points. Robinson started the game with 13 points, while Punter, limited by his injury, contributed only 6 points. Barça completed a 30-21 run in the final quarter, securing their seventh consecutive victory.

Breogán, despite their constant struggle, could not stop the blaugrana momentum. Brown and Brankovic, with 15 points each, were the top scorers for the Galician team but fell short. Bolton added 11 points, Mavra 12, Aranitovic 9, Alfonso 8, and García 4, rounding out an attack that failed to maintain the required pace.

Future outlook and upcoming commitments

With this seventh consecutive victory, Barça's last defeat was on October 18, when they lost to Joventut. The blaugranas are picking up speed and positioning themselves near the top of the ACB standings. Looking ahead, the Catalans face their next EuroLeague commitment against Panathinaikos away this Friday before taking on Obradoiro on Sunday. The presence of Punter and Evbuomwan in these matches remains uncertain due to the discomfort suffered.

Río Breogán, on the other hand, will face Burgos on Saturday in a crucial match to maintain their hopes of qualifying among the top eight for the Copa del Rey. Luis Casimiro's team must recover from the disaster in outside shooting and find the defensive consistency that will allow them to compete in the upcoming challenges.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El Barça logra su séptima victoria en la Liga Endesa ante el Breogán