By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos started last season with 4-0 road wins over the Spanish teams. However, things have changed and this season the situation for last year’s finalists is totally different.
Baskonia beat the Greeks for the second time this season and caught them in the standings as both teams share an 11-10 record.
Meanwhile, Olympiacos has so far no wins and six defeats from Spanish teams in the season. The final score was 80-69.
Markus Howard with 21 points and Chima Moneke with 13 led a balanced effort for the winning side. Dani Diez added 11 points and Tadas Sedekerskis had 10.
“It took me a while to get my legs going. But I am glad today was the day I could to other things on the court to help the team without scoring,” Moneke described his contribution, “I made some shots at the end. I am just glad I could help the team win.”
“The entire team was really aggressive,” Maik Kotsar shared credit on the defensive effort after chipping in eight points, nine rebounds, five steals, and two assists.”
For Olympiacos, Isaiah Canaan scored 19 points and Filip Petrusev finished the night with 14. Nikola Milutinov and Nigel Williams-Goss had 12 points each with the Serbian center also grabbing 14 rebounds.
“It was a disappointing performance by our team, especially in the third quarter,” recapped Giorgos Bartzokas, “We have to make a restart. Think about our toughness, mentally and physically. I will find the place to do it.”
Baskonia dominated the second half
The first half ended up being a balanced affair with Baskonia leading 33-32, despite a great start of Olympiacos which led 21-16 with Canaan starting the game scoring four three-pointers in four attempts.
Things changed in the second half with Baskonia leading 50-40 after seven minutes of action after a 10-2 run. The hosts were up by ten (59-49) at the end of the third period.
“We played really really good defense,” noted head coach Dusko Ivanovic, “Every game is important, especially against teams like Olympiacos.”
Baskonia’s crescendo continued with the lead moving to 17 points (70-53), Olympiacos couldn’t trim the lead more than nine points (73-64) and Baskonia got the win with ease.