BARCELONA (ACB) - Winterthur FC Barcelona got off to the best possible start in their quarter-final play-off series with Real Madrid by claiming a convincing 79-67 triumph in Game 1 on Friday.
The Catalan club built up a solid first-quarter lead (26-19) and never looked back as they eased to victory in the first match of the best-of-five series.
Juan Carlos Navarro, the talented shooting guard, played a stellar role for the winners, pouring in a game-high 27 points in his 33 minutes on court while also chipping in with five assists and three rebounds.
Only one of his team-mates made a double-figure contribution (Shammond Williams with 10 points) but they were defensively sound throughout at the other end of the court.
By the interval, Barcelona were a comfortable 48-33 ahead and they also won the third quarter, by four points, to make sure of the win.
Madrid, who lost to their arch rivals at this stage in the Euroleague, rallied in the final quarter but by that stage, Barcelona were home and dry.
Four Madrid players reached double figures, Mous Sonko weighing in with 14 points while Felipe Reyes added 13 points and eight assists.
The two teams meet for Game 2 on Sunday.
PA Sport