By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Already-eliminated Olympiacos put Valencia in trouble as they got away with an 88-79 victory on the road for Round 32 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. An impressive comeback by the hosts in the fourth quarter after they recovered from a 33-point deficit wasn’t enough to save the day, as the Reds managed to keep their lead until the end.
“We thought that the game was over, and it wasn’t. In a EuroLeague game, we cannot underestimate anybody. And somehow, they came back in the game and finally we won. It’s a win that I really appreciate. We lost in the first round in Pireaus easily, so it was a great effort from the players and congratulations”, said coach Georgios Bartzokas after the game.
Valencia stepped into the court after a series of wins to fight for a place in the playoffs, though after falling to a 17-15 record, this deed becomes a bit more difficult and its next two games are do-or-die if they want to remain in the playoffs race.
Fueled behind a 19-point performance by Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos managed to win its fourth out of its last five games. Georgios Printezis added 18 points and 6 rebounds, Octavius Ellis had 11 and Kostas Sloukas had 8 points and 11 assists.
The Reds dominated the court for three quarters and got a 74-41 advantage after 30 minutes, though Valencia poured 38 points in the last period.
Klemen Prepelic paced the efforts of the hosts with 12 points, Fernando San Emeterio tapped 11, while Vanja Marinkovic and Joan Sastre had 10 points each.
Photo: Eurokinissi