The Barça basketball team opened its 2026-27 Liga Endesa campaign on Saturday with a 119-101 victory against newly promoted Leyma Coruña at the Palau Blaugrana, though the game remained tightly contested until a late fourth-quarter surge.
Olek Balcerowski led all scorers with 21 points for the hosts, while guard Alonzo Verge paced the visitors with 16 points. A crowd of 3,388 spectators watched the opening-round fixture unfold under referees Luis Miguel Castillo, Alfonso Olivares, and Cristóbal Sánchez.
Early Exchanges and First-Half Momentum
Barça started strongly behind Joel Parra, whose footwork in the post helped establish a 12-7 lead by the fifth minute. Leyma Coruña responded immediately when Dídac Cuevas entered the game, sparking a visiting run that forced a timeout from Sekulic after a 15-14 lead for the newcomers.
The opening period ended with Barça narrowly ahead 22-18. The second quarter followed a similar competitive pattern. Agustín Ubal extended the local lead to 29-23, prompting a stoppage from Marco, before Caio Pacheco caught fire from beyond the arc to push Leyma Coruña ahead 38-36 in the 17th minute.
Despite the visitors maintaining their shooting efficiency, a steady performance running the offense by Juan Núñez combined with Balcerowski’s interior dominance allowed the home side to reach halftime leading 52-47.
Third-Quarter Resistance and Decisive Final Period
Justin Robinson pushed Barça’s advantage to nine points quickly at the start of the second half, making it 59-50 in the 22nd minute. Leyma Coruña refused to fade, trimming the deficit thanks to three practically consecutive three-pointers from Guillem Jou that narrowed the margin to 75-69.
The visitors closed within three points before Balcerowski converted a shot at the buzzer to end the third quarter at 85-79.
In the final ten minutes, Robinson sparked a 6-0 run in the opening minute to break the game open past a ten-point margin at 90-79. Umoja Gibson added further distance with perimeter shooting, pushing the score to 105-88 in the 36th minute and eliminating any chance of a Galician comeback as Barça secured the 119-101 win.
Match Statistics
Barça (119): Robinson (10), Punter (10), Minaya (2), Parra (12), Balcerowski (21) — starting five — Gibson (8), Martin (16), Umude (8), Brizuela (15), Ubal (4), Nkamhoua (10), and Núñez (3).
Leyma Coruña (101): Verge (16), Jorgensen (13), Uleckas (6), Silins (3), Conditt (17) — starting five — Cuevas (10), Jou (10), Radoncic (4), Pacheco (11), Skapintsev (8), and Díaz (3).
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