Regular Season Game 5 - November 26, 2009 CET: 20:30 Local time: 20:30 - PALAESTRA

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
4-0 Regular Season 4-0
4-0 Overall 4-0

Referees

Crew Chief
BRAZAUSKAS, ROMUALDAS, Lithuania
Referee
VIATOR, EDDIE, France
Umpire
VOJINOVIC, MILIJA, Serbia

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
84.5 Points 79.0
29.8 Rebounds 33.0
8.3 O. Rebounds 8.5
21.5 D. Rebounds 24.5
17.0 Assists 14.5
10.5 Steals 5.3
1.5 Blocks 3.5
11.8 Turnovers 12.3
50.4 % 2PT 63.1 %
45.8 % 3PT 28.9 %
84.2 % FT 77.4 %
95.3 Index 95.3

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
17.5 / Sato Points 17.5 / Mickeal
5.5 / Sato Rebounds 5.0 / MORRIS, TERENCE
1.8 / Eze OR 1.0 / Grimau
4.0 / Sato DR 4.0 / Mickeal
7.8 / MCINTYRE, TERRELL Assists 5.5 / RUBIO, RICARD
2.3 / MCINTYRE, TERRELL Steals 1.5 / RUBIO, RICARD
0.8 / Eze Blocks 1.3 / MORRIS, TERENCE
2.8 / MCINTYRE, TERRELL Turnovers 2.0 / RUBIO, RICARD
65.5 % / Sato 2PT 100.0 % / MORRIS, TERENCE
66.7 % / Ress 3PT 66.7 % / Mickeal
100.0 % / Domercant FT 100.0 % / RUBIO, RICARD
21.5 / Sato Index 21.0 / Mickeal

THE TAKE

The most eagerly-anticipated game of the season so far will take place on Thursday when Montepaschi Siena hosts Regal FC Barcelona in a clash of unbeaten sides from Group A. First place will be at stake when these two teams take the floor in Siena. After various injuries limited their rotations earlier in the season, both head coaches have all their top players ready to go this time. This game features stars at every turn, but two of the biggest will be in the backcourt, where Euroleague MVP Juan Carlos Navarro anchors the Barcelona attack and two-time All-Euroleague playmaker Terrell McIntyre leads the Italian champs. McIntyre will face a tough matchup against Ricky Rubio and Victor Sada, two defensive-minded guards that will seek to make things tough on the Montepaschi Star. Meanwhile Navarro will pit his scoring abilities against Henry Domercant, while Barca combo-guard Jaka Lakovic will challenge his counterpart, Nikos Zisis. Montepaschi has two extremely athletic players to attack from the wings in shooting guard David Hawkins and small forward Romain Sato. Barcelona captain Roger Grimau could be called on to badger Hawkins, while Barca’s leading scorer, Pete Mickeal, will tangle with Siena’s No. 1 scorer, Sato, in a tantalizing duel. Neither team can complain about depth in the paint either, with four big and big name players sharing time for both sides. Montepaschi’s do-it-all power forward, Ksistof Lavrinovic, is back after missing three games to face Terence Morris and Erazem Lorbek. Center Ben Eze and former Barcelona star Denis Marconato will meet Barca’s shot-blocking threats Fran Vazquez and Boniface NDong. Montepaschi captain Shaun Stonerook loves to open up the floor with his deep shooting range, creating space for the other big men to exploit or the wings to penetrate into. Of course what makes this matchup truly special is that both teams always prove to be greater than the sum of their parts, a tribute to two of the best young coaches in basketball, Montepaschi’s Simone Pianigiani and Barcelona’s Xavi Pascual. The two teams have allowed the fewest points of any teams in the Euroleague and it will be interesting to see whether this game takes the shape of a defensive grindout or a fast paced thriller. Either way, the matchup between McIntyre and Rubio will have a huge impact on the outcome and is certainly worth keeping an eye on.

REFEREES: Romualdas Brazauskas, Eddie Viator, Milija Vojinovic


GAME NOTES

Montepaschi Siena

All-Euroleague point guard Terrell McIntyre has drilled at least one three-pointer in 20 consecutive Euroleague games.

Ben Eze continues to move up on the Euroleague career shot-blocking charts. He is now in 13th place with 77 career blocks, needing just 3 more to crack the top 10.

Guard David Hawkins had one of the best games of his Euroleague career against Barcelona in January 2008. He only missed a single shot en route to 22 points, 3 assists and 3 steals for a career-high 28 index in a 75-77 victory.

Henry Domercant had one of the best games of his Euroleague career in a 66-63 win over Barcelona in November 2005. Domercant, then with Efes Pilsen, recorded 23 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals for a 31 index in a 66-63 win in Istanbul.

Domercant has made 34 consecutive free throws over his past 17 Euroleague games.

Romain Sato reinforced Barcelona for the 2006 Spanish League playoffs. He was a teammate of four current Barcelona players: Juan Carlos Navarro, Jordi Trias, Gianluca Basile and Roger Grimau.

Sato recorded his career best in steals, 6, in a 71-61 home victory over Barcelona in November 71-61.

Center Denis Marconato needs 1 more offensive rebound to break a tie with Luis Scola for third place on the career offensive rebounding list. Marconato enters the game with 276 offensive boards and needs 13 more to reach Kerem Gonlum for second place with 289. The all-time leader is FB Ulker’s Mirsad Turkcan with 337.

Regal FC Barcelona

Erazem Lorbek recorded his only double-double of the season last year in the Top 16 against Montepaschi Siena. Lorbek had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead his team at the time, CSKA Moscow, to a 95-71 victory.

Barcelona big men Terrence Morris and Lorbek were teammates with Montepaschi guard Nikos Zisis last season at CSKA Moscow. Together they won the Russian League and reached the Euroleague final.

Terence Morris has not missed a two-point shot yet this season, going a combined 8 for 8 in Barcelona’s first four games.

Morris needs just 2 more blocked shot to reach 20th place on the Euroelague’s career shot-blocking charts. He has blocked 70 shots in 50 games over his career.

Juan Carlos Navarro needs just 5 more three-pointers to reach 300 for his Euroleague career. He would be come the fourth player to accomplish that feat.

Pete Mickeal and Montepaschi big man Ksistof Lavrinovic were teammates briefly during the 2004-05 season at Dynamo Moscow. Mickael played only one Eurocup game with Moscow before moving to Makedonikos Kozani.

Fran Vazquez trails Marcus Goree by 2 blocked shots for second place on the Euroleague career blocked shot list. Vazquez now has 118 blocks in 103 career games.

Ricky Rubio has recorded at least one steal in each of his last 14 Euroleague appearances.

Rubio has made 14 straight free throws over his last five Euroleague games.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Euroleague.net

Quotes Head Coaches

PIANIGIANI, SIMONE
Montepaschi Siena
"There will be a great emotion, it will be a great event, and everybody live this special atmosphere, and a special game. Our fans leave at their best these extraordinary nights, and we'll try to do our best playing this special game. Those are the games all the players want to play and you can feel that everything is special during the practice, and tomorrow night approach, desire to win, intensity will be keys important more than all the tachtics we prepare."
PASCUAL, XAVIER
Regal FC Barcelona
"Montepaschi is a clear candidate to be in Paris in May, that's why, to beat them, we will have to see our best defnsive version. With the change of Kaukenas by David Hawkins I think Siena is more solid in defense now. They are maintaining the main group of players of last season, and one of their main features is the fast ball circulation. We are healthy but we will have two very important games in less than two days, that's why you have to be extra careful. But we must do everything in our hands, This game is probably the most important so far in the season, it can define the final options in our group. It is important but not decisive yet."

Players

MCINTYRE, TERRELL
Montepaschi Siena
"It's exciting when there are two top team battling and I'm sure it will be a great game from start to finish. There will be a great atmosphere, the crowd will give us extra energy, but it's tough to play against a team like Barcelona, is not enough to prepare the game, you have to compete and this is the game I love to play"
GRIMAU, ROGER
Regal FC Barcelona
"Siena is probably the most complicated opponent in our group. In the last times we have played there we have had a really hard time. They are a team that plays real well becaus etheir core has remained the same for a few years now. After this we'll meet Unicaja in the Spanish League, so we can't wait to start this season against two great teams. And we want to start it well by beating Montepaschi on the road."
Boniface NDong - Regal BarcelonaRegal FC Barcelona took the big showdown between undefeated teams in Group A and sent a statesment that echoed all around the competition by downing Montepaschi 65-84 in Siena, Italy on Thursday night. Barcelona reached the 2009-10 regular season's halfway mark with a perfect 5-0 record and Montepaschi was now second at 4-1. Boni Ndong led the winners with 19 points on 9-of-10 two-pointers. Pete Mickeal added 14 and Juan Carlos Navarro had 12 for Barcelona. Terrell McIntyre and Romain Sato each had 13 points for Montepaschi while Henry Domercant added 10. Ricky Rubio's defense forced McIntyre to committ 5 turnovers and finish the game without dishing any assist for just the second time in his 48-game Euroleague career. Mickeal and Ndong paced Barcelona in the first quarter but a layup by David Hawkins got Montepaschi within 18-20 after 10 minutes. Rubio managed to shut down McIntyre and Montepaschi's offense collapsed. Meanwhile, Fran Vazquez and Mickeal helped Barcelona to get a nine-point lead, 34-43, at halftime. Mickeal and Terence Morris shined to give Barcelona a 15-point lead, 53-68, with over 6 minutes to go. McIntyre and Hawkins tried to bring Montepaschi back to life but Ndong and Rubio helped the guests to seal a very important road win long before the final buzzer.

Barcelona tried a very athletic frontcourt in the beginning with Mickeal, Morris and Ndong together on court. Mickeal got Barcelona going with a driving layup and matched Sato's triple with a bomb from downtown for a 3-5 Barcelona lead. McIntyre struggled to find the game rhythm against Rubio while Ndong silenced the crowd with a dunk. Nikos Zisis buried a running jumper that Mickeal erased with free throws. McIntyre and Ndong traded baskets but Sato banked in a mid-range shot for a 9-11 Montepaschi deficit. Ndong kept pacing Barcelona while Vazquez soon gave Barcelona a five-point lead, 10-15. Ben Eze rescued Montepaschi with an easy layup but Rubio kept dominating the game with court vision and excellent defense on McIntyre. Montepaschi tried Zisis at point guard but a layup by Vazquez made the hosts call timeout at 12-17. Shaun Stonerook shined with a put-back layup and Zisis added free throws to bring the hosts within 16-17. Jaka Lakovic sank a seven-meter bomb but a layup by Hawkins kept the hosts as close as 18-20 after 10 minutes.

Romain Sato - Montepaschi SienaMontepaschi tried to open the court with Domercant, Stonerook and Ksystof Lavrinovic together on court. Barcelona went scoreless for more than 2 minutes while Zisis scored in penetration for a 20-20 tie. Erazem Lorbek downed a triple from the top of the key and matched Lavrinovic's jumper with a six-meter shot. Navarro buried an open three-pointer in transition to make Siena call timeout at 22-28. Domercant sank a jumper but Navarro found Vazquez for an easy basket and Lorbek scored down low to make it an eight-point game, 24-32. Domercant kept trying to changed things and Lavrinovic sank free throws, as the hosts improved their defense. An acrobatic layup by McIntyre got the crowd involved at 30-34. Vazquez scored down low but a red hot Domercant sank another mid-range jumper. Rubio took over with a corner triple - and the free throw that came with it. McIntyre shined with an electric driving layup but Montepaschi had lost control at both ends now. Free throws by Mickeal boosted the guests' lead to 34-43 at halftime.

Vazquez drew a foul and sank free throws immediately after the break, as Barcelona tried to slow down the game tempo. McIntyre tried to improve his team's ball circulation and the hosts improved its defense through an outstanding Hawkins. Meanwhile, Eze followed a layup with 1-of-2 foul shots from a 38-45 deficit. Ndong silenced the crowd with a layup-plus-foul and coach Simone Pianigiani called timeout to adjust his team's offense. Hawkins took over with a power layup that Ndong matched with a mid-range jumper. Sato gave Montepaschi some hope with 4-of-4 free throws but Lakovic took over with a seven-meter bomb and Navarro made Barcelona restore a double-digit lead, 44-54. Domercant sank his trademark mid-range shot that Mickeal matched with a power basket. Montepaschi kept attacking the basket and going the foul line often, as Sato, Lavrinovic and Zisis got their team within 51-57. Domercant hit another stop-and-pop jumper but free throws by Navarro and a buzzer-beating tip-in by Mickeal gave Barcelona a 53-61 margin after 30 minutes.

Morris followed a backdoor layup with an open three-pointer to give Barcelona a 53-66 early in the fourth quarter, as Montepaschi quickly called timeout right after a 24-second violation. The hosts now tried to use short possessions but couldn't find open shots due to Barcelona's near-perfect man-to-man defense. Morris kept pacing Barcelona with a dunk that made it a 15-point game, 53-68. Hawkins scored in penetration and Zisis added a layup in transition for a 57-68 Montepaschi deficit with 6 minutes left. McIntyre took over with consecutive three-pointers that brought the hosts back to life, 63-70, with under 6 minutes left. Rubio sank a five-meter jumper and Ndong added a high-flying put-back basket to make Barcelona put the victory on ice, 63-74. The outcome was clear but both teams kept fighting for points differential. Barcelona did not give up and an incredible alleyoop dunk by Ndong highlighted a 0-11 run that allowed the guests to get back home with a critical road win - sealed in style with an eight-meter triple by Navarro.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Euroleague.net
Referees: BRAZAUSKAS, ROMUALDAS (LTU), VIATOR, EDDIE (FRA), VOJINOVIC, MILIJA (SRB)
Attendance: 5044
By Quarter1234
Montepaschi Siena18161912
Regal FC Barcelona20231823
End of Quarter1234
Montepaschi Siena18345365
Regal FC Barcelona20436184
Head coach: PIANIGIANI, SIMONE
Montepaschi Siena
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
3FG
M-A
FT
M-A
Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 DOMERCANT, HENRY 19:19 10 5/7     1 1 2     1   1 4   4
5 MCINTYRE, TERRELL 29:20 13 3/4 2/5 1/2   4 4   2 5     3 2 8
6 ZISIS, NIKOS 23:26 9 3/7   3/4       1       2 2 3 4
8 EZE, BENJAMIN 26:00 6 2/4   2/5   1 1   1     1 2 4 4
9 CARRARETTO, MARCO 1:21                              
10 SATO, ROMAIN 27:54 13 2/3 1/2 6/6 1 3 4 1 1 2     3 4 16
12 LAVRINOVIC, KSISTOF 19:07 6 1/6   4/4   3 3     2 1   1 4 6
14 RESS, TOMAS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
15 METREVELI, NIKA DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
18 MARCONATO, DENIS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 STONEROOK, SHAUN 27:09 2 1/1 0/1   2 5 7 2 1 1     3   7
34 HAWKINS, DAVID 26:24 6 3/6 0/2 0/1   4 4 1 1 1     2 3 6
Team             1 1     1          
Totals 200:00 65 20/38 3/10 16/22 4 22 26 5 6 13 1 4 20 20 55
52.6% 30% 72.7%
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Head coach: PASCUAL, XAVIER
Regal FC Barcelona
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
3FG
M-A
FT
M-A
Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
8 TRIAS, JORDI 1:29                              
9 RUBIO, RICKY 23:29 6 1/2 1/2 1/1   3 3 5 1 1     3 4 13
10 LAKOVIC, JAKA 16:08 7 0/2 2/2 1/2   2 2 2   1       1 8
11 NAVARRO, JUAN CARLOS 35:47 12 0/1 3/9 3/4   2 2 5 1 3     1 4 12
17 VAZQUEZ, FRAN 18:40 10 4/8   2/2 1 1 2 3 1   2   1 1 14
21 NDONG, BONIFACE 15:33 19 9/10   1/3 2 2 4   1       4 2 19
22 RABASEDA, XAVIER DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
23 MORRIS, TERENCE 23:18 9 3/4 1/3 0/1 1 4 5 2 2 1 1   4 2 12
24 SADA, VICTOR 0:39     0/1                       -1
25 LORBEK, ERAZEM 20:44 7 2/6 1/1     1 1 5 1 3 1 1 4 1 4
33 MICKEAL, PETE 35:46 14 3/4 1/2 5/6 2 5 7   1       1 4 22
44 GRIMAU, ROGER 8:27     0/1     3 3           2    
Team           2 1 3     1       1 3
Totals 200:00 84 22/37 9/21 13/19 8 24 32 22 8 10 4 1 20 20 106
59.5% 42.9% 68.4%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

PIANIGIANI, SIMONE
Montepaschi Siena
"To play face to face with Barcelona you have to be well and healthy and I has said that we were undergoing some issues. But we must not get obsessed with this loss because we know we still have a long way to go and Barcelona, at this moment, is a very strong team. Everytime that we were close to taking the game in our hands there was always some small detail that deprived us from putting our heads ahead and play with more confidence in thelast minutes. To win this kind of games we will have to be at a level at which we were not tonight."
PASCUAL, XAVIER
Regal FC Barcelona
"I am happy for the win, because Siena is a great team in a great scenario, like every time we come to Siena. We have done a good job in defense and we succeeded at not letting Montepaschi move the ball, while in offense we found good shots. We have played a good game."

Players

STONEROOK, SHAUN
Montepaschi Siena
"We lacked intensity and aggressiveness. Against Barcelona, if you relax even for two minutes, you get 10 points behind. But I don't think we deserved to lose by 19 in the end. We had to do some things that we didn't manage to put in practice. Barcelona is a great team but we didn't show what we are capable of. They have defended perfect while we never managed to move the ball fast. We have to play as a team while Barca always found the right player at the right part of the court. They had teh guy who hit the triples, the guy who took rebounds, the guy who defended, the guy who penetrated and the one that scored the two-pointers. We are not happy but this is not theend. The Euroleague is still long and we have to concentrate to get better."
LORBEK, ERAZEM
Regal FC Barcelona
"It was the first important game of the season for us and we are happy that we won it. We are group leaders and we managed to play good defense, especially on McIntyre, Stonerook and Lavrinovic covering the passing lines well. We are on the right track, we are not thinking about being the strongest team in Europe. We only want to work more in order to improve."
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