Barça 86-79 UCAM Murcia: No easy win

FC Barcelona had to work to the limit to get the better of UCAM Murcia but an inspired Vesely and some impressive scoring by Punter and Parker meant they got there in the end. 

Jan Vesely was the standout man today, and it was thanks to him that the home went +7 after just four minutes, which would later become +10 before Murcia regroup meant the first period ended at a tight 23-20. 

Vesely against charged, having scored 14 of the points by the time it was 32-24, but in a bad-tempered phase, Murcia scored 9 uncontested points to get right back into things at 32-33.

It was not time for Barça to reassemble, but it wasn't working. Everything they did was countered by UCAM, and even though they managed to put 7 points between them at one stage, with just two and half minutes to go. Murcia got back to all square for the first time in the game.

Thankfully, Punter and Parker had saved their best for last. A 3-pointer from each made it 83-77, which looked definitive, and indeed was. 

MATCH STATS

Barça, 86
UCAM Murcia, 79

Barça: Satornasky (9), Punter (18), Anderson (5), Parker (15), Vesely (20) -cinc inicial- Hernagómez (11), Núñez (4), Parra (2), Abrines (2) & Sarr (-)
UCAM Murcia: Kurucs (7), Radebaugh (10), Todorovic (10), Hakanson (11), Ennis (17) -cinc inicial- Caupain (8), Brodziansky (10), Sant-Roos (-), Birgander (4) & Diagné (2)

Periods: 23-20; 22-20 // 20-18; 21-21

Referees: Óscar Perea, Luis Miguel Castillo & Yasmina Alcaraz