The final quarterfinals of this edition pitted FC Barcelona against Ucam Murcia at the Roig Arena. Two different basketball styles but always competitive teams.
On one hand, the Catalan side, with their individual quality and deep roster, could position themselves as favorites for tonight, and on the other, Ucam Murcia, a team that continues to grow year after year, confirming that they are a competitive team from start to finish. Strong support from Ucam fans, with an estimated 4,000 supporters traveling to Valencia.
FC Barcelona Starting Five: Laprovittola, Brizuela, Clyburn, Shengelia and Fall
Ucam Murcia Starting Five: Ennis, DeJulius, Cakoc, Nakic and Raieste.
FC Barcelona started the game with a three-pointer from Clyburn, undoubtedly the American is one of the main offensive weapons for head coach Xavi Pascual (3-0). Ucam Murcia also entered the game well, quickly taking the lead for the first time in the match after the first three minutes of play (3-5).
Minutes continued to pass in the Valencia arena and one thing was clear: if nothing went wrong, the game was going to be very competitive.
The first timeout of the second quarter came after the first five minutes, called by the Ucam coach as he saw FC Barcelona beginning to take control of the game's pace. (28-23)
Dylan Ennis with an open three-pointer tied the game again (36-36). On the next possession favoring the Murcia side, it would be Ennis himself who would give Ucam the lead again several minutes later (38-39), although Tornike Shengelia, from the free-throw line, would score two free throws to put the Blaugrana up +1 (40-39).
Finally, both teams headed to the locker room with a very tight scoreline. The game was much closer than it seemed at times, as the Catalan team had reached a maximum lead of 6 points in the middle of this quarter. Ucam Murcia would have the last possession of the first half, and Martin (number 30) hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to take a new lead (42-44)
We returned from halftime with a minimal +2 advantage for the Murcia region team. FC Barcelona, which went from less to more during the second quarter, would need to recover their best offensive level if they wanted to overcome Ucam Murcia.
A hot Dylan Ennis hit another three-pointer from the wing to put Ucam Murcia ahead (54-56), and several plays later Sant-Roos in an individual play would make it +4 for the Murcia side (56-60). Finally, the third quarter ended with an advantage for Ucam. Ennis with 18 points was the game's leading scorer. (60-62)
We were heading into the final ten minutes with a lot of tension on both sides of the court. Murcia, led by head coach Sito Alonso, could not drop their level from what they had shown so far.
Joel Parra with a dunk tied the game at 66, and Ucam Murcia was forced to call a timeout as the Catalans were taking over. After the timeout, Barcelona came out stronger, a hot Punter with 13 points put his team back ahead (70-69)
Kevin Punter in 'MVP mode' hit a three-pointer from the wing that gave the Blaugrana even more of an advantage (75-71), Barcelona entered a difficult dynamic to defend against. Laprovittola hit a three-pointer that made it +7 (80-73) with three minutes remaining. It seemed unlikely that Ucam could come back.
Finally, after a strong closing stretch, Xavi Pascual's team took a great game that had everything: rivalry in the stands between the fans and two teams that gave everything on the court. Joel Parra, with two free throws, was the last Barcelona player to score, and Forest (10 points), from three-point range, was the last for Ucam Murcia. Kevin Punter with 20 points was the game's best player. (91-85)
Tomorrow at 6:00 PM we will have the first semifinal of this 2026 Copa del Rey edition, with Valencia Basket (home team) and Real Madrid facing off for the fourth time this season—the first was with a title on the line (Supercopa final), another in EuroLeague, the last in the ACB League, and this one to determine a Copa finalist.
And at 9:00 PM we would have Baskonia vs FC Barcelona. It could be said that the four favorites have won their respective games. We will have dream semifinals at the Roig Arena on a Saturday afternoon-evening that promises much.