Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul v FC Barcelona Lassa: Third Euroleague loss on the trot (78-64)

FC Barcelona Lassa defeat to Galatasaray means they have now lost three in a row in the Euroleague. Bartzokas' team kept the scores level during the first half but ended up being defeated 78-64. Barça, who had Justin Doellman and Víctor Claver back from injury, now has a record of four victories and five defeats in Europe's premier competition. Next week they will play Xavier Pascual's Panathinaikos in an attempt to halt the recent poor run of results.

Neck and neck

The first ten minutes were close. Perperoglou, with seven points, led Barça Lassa's attack whilst, Rice struggled to break through and waited for his moment against an impressive Galatasaray defence. Barça couldn't get in front of the home side but they were breathing down the Turkish sides neck as they finished strongly with a Rice three pointer in the last second of the first quarter (17-16).

Lead slips from Barça's hands

Holmes' entrance allowed the Catalans to take the lead for the first time (17-18). However, two consecutive three pointers from Micov and Shilb Blake's 12 first half points meant Barça weren't able to build up a lead.

Even though the Turkish team were pushing them close, the visitors still had a lead of 33-35 two minutes from half time thanks to Dorsey's five points and Rice's third three pointer. The last 120 seconds set the precedent for a difficult third quarter as Bartzokas' men lost various rebounds and paid the price with their lead disappearing once the half time whilstle went (39-35).

Galtasaray press home their advantage

The restart saw the visitors start in a daze as Micov continued to score three pointers at regular intervals. Rice, in his role as a leader in this team, almost single-handedly pulled Barça back into it with seven unanswered points bringing his team within five points (49-44). This opportunity to turn the game around, however, led to the Turkish side raising their game once again.

The third quarter ended with a fairly decisive advantage for the home team of 61-48 and Barça in disarray. Rice's 22 points as well as Claver and Doellman's returns were unable to change the dynamic of the game.

Erikssson scored five unanswered points giving Barça one final chance to get something out of the game at 66-59. However, their fifth Euroleague victory eluded them after Guler and Diebler's three pointers finished off any hope of a comeback and gave the home side a 78-64 victory.