Late comeback maintains Barca´s unbeaten Top 16 record

Barcelona required a huge fourth-quarter effort to defeat Olimpia Milano 80-70 and remain the only unbeaten side in the Euroleague Top 16. Milan had led for the majority of the first three quarters at the Palau Blaugrana, but Xavier Pascual's charges outscored the Italian outfit 31-18 in the fourth to extend their record to 6-0 in Group E. In the opening half-hour, Barcelona made just one of 11 three-pointers, but sank six from nine in the last quarter to seal their 18th consecutive Top 16 victory. Shooting guard Brad Oleson was a big part of their fourth-quart success, chipping in with 15 points to take his tally for the match to 17. The result was somewhat harsh on the visitors who had performed admirably, with league-leading scorer Kevin Langford totalling 18 points, while Samardo Samuels and Curtis Jerrells added 14 and 12 respectively. Barcelona now have a two-victory lead over Olympiacos at the top of Group E, while Milano sit just outside the top four with a 3-3 record. In Group F, a tense encounter that came down to the final few seconds saw CSKA Moscow defeat Galatasaray 74-71 on the road. Centre Nenad Krstic was the star for the Russians, contributing 24 points after making 11 of 13 two-point shots. The hosts had taken a narrow two-point lead into the fourth quarter at the Abdi Ipekci Arena, but CSKA had overturned the deficit to lead by nine with two minutes remaining. Malik Hairston and Carlos Arroyo responded with three-pointers to ensure a tense ending, yet CSKA held on to make it a three-way tie at the top of Group F with Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv, with all three sides boasting 5-1 records.