Barcelona remontó ante Zaragoza y Nijko Brussino fue su figura

El Barcelonaikitid and maintained its perfect record as home team in the Liga Endesa by defeating Casademont Zaragoza 99 to 81 at the Palau Blaugrana. The Aragonese team started strongly and even reached an eight-point advantage in the final quarter, but the Catalans' defense and contributions from Juan Núñez and Olek Balcerowski ultimately made the difference.

The match began with Casademont taking control. The visitors led by six points in the first quarter, but Barcelona managed to reduce the gap and closed the period ahead 24 to 21. During the second quarter, the home team consolidated its advantage and went to the break leading 48 to 40. The game was also affected by Caleb Homesley, who left Zaragoza because of ankle discomfort.

A decisive partial in the second half

Barcelona's first minutes after the break were decisive: the Catalans scored 14 consecutive points without conceding a basket and reached a 62 to 40 lead. Zaragoza, however, did not resign. The visitors took advantage of a relaxation from their rival and reduced the difference to just five points, 72 to 67, entering the final quarter with the game still in doubt.

The comeback continued with a 12 to 2 run, which left the margin at eight points and forced Aleksander Sekulic, Zaragoza's coach, to call a timeout. The effort did not succeed, as Barcelona recovered control through the contributions of Balcerowski and Justin Minaya and finished the victory in the Palau. For Zaragoza, it was the first defeat on the road this season.

• Barcelona won 99 to 81 and remains undefeated at home.
• Zaragoza led by six points in the first quarter and by five entering the final period.
• A 14 to 0 partial after halftime gave Barcelona a 62 to 40 advantage.
• Nijko Brussino scored 15 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and delivered 4 assists.
• Juan Núñez led Barcelona with 23 points and a rating of 22, his best personal marks in the Liga Endesa.

Brussino, the standout of the visiting team

Nijko Brussino was the best player for Casademont Zaragoza. The forward contributed 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the defeat and became the reference for the Aragonese team during the match. His performance stands out in a game in which Zaragoza managed to compete until the final quarter, but could not sustain the comeback against the home team's greater offensive depth.

“The numbers reflect a player who is becoming increasingly important in Zaragoza's attack, although the defeat by 18 points shows the difficulty of sustaining the comeback against Barcelona's home performance.”Tomás Galarza, Deportes

The result leaves Brussino with a prominent role in Zaragoza's campaign and raises the question of how far the team can go with his participation this season. The challenge for the Aragonese side will be to turn performances such as this one into regular results away from home, especially against teams with the offensive resources demonstrated by Barcelona.