The German side notched just its third win of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season on Tuesday night.
Multiple players shined as ALBA downed Barcelona
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ALBA Berlin had lost nine straight games to FC Barcelona in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, but at the 10th time of asking, the German side won 74-70 at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Round 15 of the 2023-24 season. Head coach Israel Gonzalez saw 10 of the 11 ALBA players who stepped on the floor score at least 2 points, while as many as five of his men reached double digits in scoring.
Matt Thomas led the way with 13 points and Johannes Thiemann paired his 12 points with 7 rebounds. Gabriele Procida went 4-for-5 from inside the arc (80.0% 2FG), including some big baskets in the last quarter, to end the game with 11 points. Sterling Brown scored all 10 of his points in the first half, netting 7 important points in the last stretch of the second quarter. That inspired a 5-0 ALBA run, which brought his team within 36-39 with 1:23 left on the clock.
“It’s a really big [win],” Thomas said in the post-game flash interview. “Barcelona is having a great season. They are super talented and have lots of size. It just came down to competing, I think. We played really hard. The game didn’t start well for us, but we responded.”
ALBA asserted itself in the third quarter
Barcelona took a 38-41 cushion into the second half, but ALBA went on a 9-0 surge (47-41) straight after the break to take the lead for the first time on the night. A solid Wetzell scored 8 of his team’s first 13 points in the third quarter and ended the game with 10.
“[Coach Gonzalez] basically told us [at halftime] to keep going and play with confidence,” Thiemann said after the final buzzer. “We were down 3 at halftime, which I think was great for us to compete with Barcelona.”
ALBA outscored Barcelona 18-11 in the third quarter and even secured a 13-point cushion, 70-57, midway through the closing quarter. The guests did bounce back and scored 13 points in the next 4 minutes, but they did not manage to complete the comeback. ALBA held on in the last minute of the duel and clinched its third victory this season.
More surprises on the cards?
Meanwhile, there are more reasons for the ALBA players to be confident ahead of this last stretch of the calendar year, as the German side’s next two games are against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Olympiacos Piraeus at Mercedes-Benz Arena. That is where ALBA has recorded all three of its wins this season, including Tuesday night’s major upset against the Blaugrana.