CSKA Moscow beats Barcelona, ends Euroleague in 3rd position

CSKA Moscow held on to beat FC Barcelona Regal 74-73 to win the third place game at the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four at The O2 in London. The game came down to the very last shot before CSKA stopped Barcelona to claim the victory. Victor Khryapa led the way with 16 points, Sonny Weems scored 14 and Aaron Jackson 13, including the go-ahead free throws with 26.9 seconds remaining. Juan Carlos Navarro carried Barca in the fourth quarter and his triple put the team ahead in the final minute. He finished with 17 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting. Marko Todorovic added 11 points and Alex Abrines and Ante Tomic netted 10 apiece. CSKA started fast and led 11-2 before Barcelona got going. Alex Abrines got going in the second quarter with 8 points to rally his team back. Bacra led briefly and eventually the teams reached halftime knotted at 35-35. CSKA came out hot in the third with 13 unanswered points, but Barcelona rallied again. Navarro’s hot hand set up an exciting finish, but even after regaining the lead, Barcelona was unable to hold on in the final minute.