ESP – Barcelona win Copa del Rey again with Anderson MVP

MADRID (Copa del Rey) - All eyes were on Spain this weekend where the annual Copa del Rey was staged and holders Regal Barcelona won again after beating Real Madrid in the final.
 
Following an 86-66 victory over DKV Joventut on Friday and Saturday's 92-73 drubbing of Caja Laboral, Xavier Pascual's team claimed a 68-60 victory over hosts Madrid.
 
Ettore Messina’s team did not allow superstar Juan Carlos Navarro any room to shoot and held the Spain basketball icon to just seven points on two-of-nine shooting from the floor, but Alan Anderson came to the rescue for Barca with 19 points.
 
Anderson, who joined the club after the start of the season with the outfit mired in an injury crisis, was voted MVP of the Copa.
 
"We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game for 40 minutes," Anderson said.
 
"At the beginning of the game, I could see how they were playing Juan Carlos so, we just had to step up and focus and help out as much as possible.
 
"I think everybody that got in the game tried to help out as much as possible, both offensively and defensively."
 
Anderson was three of six from long range in the final with Barcelona nine of 20 while Madrid made five of 14.
 
Erazem Lorbek scored all nine of his points on three of five shooting from behind the arc for Barca, who also got a huge lift from Victor Sada.
 
The point guard had had seven points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals.
 
One of the Barcelona players that was grinning from ear to ear after the final buzzer was Joe Ingles of Australia, who also joined the team after the beginning of the campaign from Granada.
 
"This is what I came here for from Granada and to win titles," said Ingles, who played for the Boomers at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey last year.
 
"Hopefully this is the first of a couple of more."
 
Barcelona are also chasing a second straight Euroleague title and the ACB crown that eluded them last season when Caja Laboral swept them 3-0 in the finals.
 
Defeat was a bitter pill for Madrid to swallow.
 
Barca put the shackles on Madrid's Sergio Llull.
 
The Spain national team guard took just two shots and failed to score in just over 17 minutes.
 
The result would also have been frustrating for forward Novica Velickovic.
 
One of the best players in Serbia's national team, Velickovic didn't play.
 
For Madrid, Carlos Suarez had eight points and nine rebounds and Croatia center Ante Tomic 12 points and seven boards.
 
Argentina playmaker Pablo Prigioni also finished with 10 points while Spain's Felipe Reyes ended up with three points and an uncharacteristically low rebound total of two.
 
"I am proud of my players because they have taken a step forward, have competed and we have missed some details but fought until the last minute," Messina said.
 
Madrid are also still alive in the Euroleague Top 16 and are second in the ACB behind Barcelona.
 
FIBA