FC Barcelona rallied from a late deficit to defeat Virtus Bologna 88-81 at Palau Blaugrana on Friday, improving their EuroLeague record to 7-4. Interim head coach Oscar Orellana guided the team through a tough double-round week, following Wednesday’s 75-74 win over Bayern Munich.
Virtus led 69-61 with nine minutes remaining after Aliou Diarra’s dunk, but Barcelona’s defense intensified and their shooting touch returned. Dario Brizuela and Joel Parra hit back-to-back three-pointers, sparking a 16-0 run that swung the momentum in favor of the hosts.
Tomas Satoransky capped the run with a triple, keeping Virtus scoreless for over five minutes, during which the visitors missed six shots and committed four turnovers. Momo Diouf and Matt Morgan brought Virtus within 83-80 in the final minute, but Will Clyburn buried a crucial three-pointer and followed up with a steal to secure the lead.
Barcelona excelled in the fourth quarter, grabbing nine offensive rebounds, dishing six assists, and committing just one turnover. Kevin Punter led the scoring with 17 points on 5-of-6 three-pointers, while Clyburn added 13 and Jan Vesely contributed 12 points.
Virtus struggled in the final period, missing all three of their three-point attempts and committing six turnovers. Morgan finished with 17 points, Carsen Edwards and Karim Jallow added 13 each, but their efforts were not enough to overcome Barcelona’s decisive run.
Barcelona now looks ahead to a challenging trip to Anadolu Efes next Thursday, while Virtus will host Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv in Round 12, seeking to bounce back from the narrow defeat.
