An unexpected decision leaves Barça high and dry.

BarcelonaBarça's winning streak came to an end against the Euroleague champions (72-71). The Catalan side, who had a final possession to win, lost on Fenerbahce's home court, where a controversial refereeing decision with 10 seconds remaining went in the home team's favor. Barça only attempted four free throws in the 40 minutes, twenty fewer than their opponents.

The strong performances of Kevin Punter (20 points), Darío Brizuela (19), and Miles Norris (11) went unrewarded at the Ulker Sports and Event Hall. "I'm proud of my players because we had chances to win," analyzed Xavi Pascual. The Catalan coach was without Toko Shengelia, Will Clyburn, and Juan Núñez against a Fenerbahce team that couldn't field Scottie Wilbekin, Jilson Bango, Mikael Jantunen, or Onuralp Bitim.

"It was a victory of character. I would have liked to play better basketball, but we got the win," commented Sarunas Jasikevicius. "We played incredible defense on the final possession and completed a good job," said Nicolò Melli.

Barça faced serious difficulties during a first half in which Fenerbahçe's defense neutralized many of their strengths. The Blaugrana, who struggled to contain physical perimeter players like Tarik Biberovic and Talen Horton-Tucker, fell behind by as many as 10 points (35-25). Turnovers and missed open shots proved costly for the visitors. The emergence of Kevin Punter, who scored 16 points in a quarter of an hour, helped Barça go on an 8-0 run that narrowed the gap to 35-33 at halftime.

Both teams tried to tighten up their defense to control the pace of the game. Amidst this sluggishness, Barça found an unexpected ally. Miles Norris burst onto the scene (and into the season) with remarkable accuracy from beyond the arc. Although they weren't able to force many free throws, the Blaugrana team entered the final 10 minutes with the game still open (53-52). Darío Brizuela appeared at a key moment and had a very intense offensive production. Playing with great confidence, the Basque shooting guard became a headache for the Fenerbahce defense, a team that maintains its solidity but has lost its ability to generate offense compared to last season. Barça managed to build a five-point lead with three minutes remaining (61-66), but the Turkish team reacted in time. The game was tied in the final 30 seconds (69-69). Two free throws by Jan Vesely put Barça ahead. A controversial personal foul with 10 seconds left gave Wade Baldwin three free throws, which he didn't waste (72-71). Well defended, Kevin Punter couldn't score on the final play, and the Catalan team came within a hair's breadth of another feat.