EUROLEAGUE – Barca win at TAU to force decider; Panathinaikos, Olympiacos reach Final Four

VITORIA (Euroleague) - Regal Barcelona stunned TAU Ceramica 84-63 on Thursday night to force a Game 5 decider in their Euroleague Quarter-Final showdown.

Greek giants Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, meanwhile, each prevailed in their last-eight ties to join CSKA Moscow in the Final Four.

All was going according to plan for TAU at half-time in Vitoria as they led 60-57 but Barcelona outscored them 30-13 in the third quarter and Dusko Ivanovic's team never recovered.

Jaka Lakovic led five Barcelona players in double figures with 15 points.

Barcelona got an emotional lift from Spain's Juan Carlos Navarro, who missed Tuesday's Game 3 with a leg injury but played on Thursday and scored 11 points.

"I have to mention and congratulate our medical staff today,” Barcelona coach Xavier Pascual said. “They did a great job to get Navarro back.

"We played solid defense in the second half and the 30 points we scored in the third quarter were also very important.”

Game 5 will be on April 9 in Barcelona.

Slovenia international playmaker Lakovic said: "The home-court advantage won’t be too important now. We showed in this playoff series that everyone can win on the road. That's the mentality we need to have in the last game."

Olympiacos scraped a 78-75 win at Real Madrid to book their spot in the Final Four.

Panagiotis Yannakis team, forced to go without Croatia big man Nikola Vujcic (abdominal injury), got a huge game from their Greece international center Ioannis Bourousis (25 pts).

Real lost despite holding a 41-33 at half-time and 58-54 advantage with 10 minutes remaining.

Serbia international Zoran Erceg drilled the go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute for Olympiacos.

"It has been a tough game but I am happy because we managed to beat Real Madrid on their home court without Nikola Vujcic," Olympiacos guard Theo Papaloukas said.

Papaloukas will now return to the Final Four. He played in the previous six with CSKA Moscow, winning two of the previous three titles.

"It is a great motivation to be in the Final Four," Papaloukas said, "but after the tough game we had, I just can think about relaxing my body and mind."

Panathinaikos, who beat CSKA in the title game two years ago, overcame a 35-point night by Montepaschi Siena's Terrell McIntyre and won 91-84.

Drew Nicholas scored 19 for the Greens.

"When I signed for Panathinaikos,” Nicholas said, “my target was to go all the way and win the Euroleague trophy.

"Maybe I am a little bit greedy, but I want this trophy."

Panathinaikos will now meet their bitter rivals Olympiacos in one Semi-Final while CSKA await the winner of Barcelona's Game 5 against Tau.

The Final Four will be staged in Berlin May 1-3.

FIBA