Two hundred twenty points at the Palau and a game that didn't break open until minute 31. Barcelona made their Liga Endesa debut with a 119-101 victory over Leyma Coruña, but the newly promoted side got within three points in the third quarter and scored 101 in their return to the elite.
A first half of back-and-forth play
The blaugrana started strong behind Joel Parra, who punished from the low post with his footwork (12-7). But the Galicians didn't back down: Dídac Cuevas' entry flipped the scoreboard and forced Aleksander Sekulic to call timeout (14-15).
The quarter ended tight at 22-18 after a constant exchange of baskets.
The second period followed the same script. Barcelona opened a small gap with Agustín Ubal (29-23) and Carles Marco had to intervene, but Leyma went back ahead with some strong minutes from Caio Pacheco from beyond the arc (36-38).
It was Juan Núñez's playmaking and Olek Balcerowski's interior dominance that left the score at 52-47 at halftime.
A third quarter that also didn't decide it
After the break, Barcelona went up nine quickly with Justin Robinson's transition game (59-50). And once again there was a response: three consecutive three-pointers from Guillem Jou brought Leyma back into the game (75-69).
The Galicians got within three points, until a Balcerowski basket at the buzzer left it 85-79 at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter was different
That's when the resistance ended. Robinson led a 6-0 run in a minute that pushed the lead above ten (90-79), and this time Barcelona didn't allow a comeback.
Umoja Gibson's three-pointers definitively broke open the game (105-88 at the 36-minute mark) and the scoreboard exploded to a final 119-101.
The numbers
Balcerowski was the game's leading scorer with 21 points and a rating of 30. Tyrese Martin added 16, Darío Brizuela 15, and Joel Parra 12.
For Leyma, Alonzo Verge scored 16 points, George Conditt 17, Paul Jorgensen 13, and Caio Pacheco 11.