Barcelona downs Vitoria to clinch first in Group F

FC Barcelona Regal became the Top 16 Group F champion by topping Caja Laboral Vitoria 83-74 in an all-Spanish League showdown at Palau Blaugrana on Thursday. Barcelona won its 10th straight game and improved to 11-1 to seal first place in Group F with two games remaining. Vitoria dropped to 6-6, but retains its chances to make it to the playoffs in what promises to be a close race until the end of the Top 16. Erazem Lorbek paced the winners with 16 points, Ante Tomic tallied 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, scoring king Juan Carlos Navarro recorded 14 points and 6 assists and C.J. Wallace came off the bench for 13 points in 13 minutes on perfect shooting. Maciej Lampe carried Caja Laboral with 21 points, Andres Nocioni added 11 and Thomas Heurtel 10. Barcelona shined on defense early and Wallace had 6 points late in the first quarter to give the hosts a 18-12 edge after 10 minutes. Barcelona's second unit - Victor Sada, Wallace and Marko Todorovic - took over in the second quarter to extend their team's lead to 15 before it settled at 42-32 at halftime. A rain of three-pointer and an unstoppable Lampe allowed Vitoria to rally and get a 52-53 edge late in the third quarter. However Lorbek and Navarro fueled a 9-0 run that gave Barcelona a 5-point lead entering the fourth quarter. The visitors kept it close and came within 2 with less than two minutes to go, but the hosts finished strong to clinch the win. A minute of silence took place before the game to honor former Barcelona player Joan Todoli, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 69.