Βy Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
It was a night to remember for both teams and a game that will enter the EuroLeague’s lore. However, there’s only one winner in basketball and it was again Olympiacos.
The Reds remain on top of the standings with a 15-6 record after beating Baskonia 102-101.
Evan Fournier and Shaquille McKissic with 22 points each were the top scorers of Olympiacos, followed by Nigel Williams-Goss and Sasha Vezenkov who scored 19 points each.
Goss had also eight assists and a career-high in PIR with 28, playing also for absent Thomas Walkup.
“We really needed to dig deep tonight”, said Fournier adding: “It wasn’t our best game but it was a good step towards our goal”.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot with 25 points and newcomer Luka Samanic with 17 points were the top scorers of the home side, however, every player who stepped on the court from both sides had at least one – or more -memorable moment.
Baskonia dropped to 8-13 after this result and has slim chances of making it to the play-in games.
An instant classic
The first half was a balanced affair with constant lead changes and Baskonia closing the first period leading by one (17-16).
Ultimately Baskonia created a four-point cushion (42-38) entering the last minute of the second quarter and at halftime, the score was 42-40 for the hosts.
Things changed in the third period with Baskonia opening the second half with a 9-2 run (51-44) and creating for the first time some meaningful distance. The lead jumped to 10 points (57-47) with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot doing damage from the three-point line.
Despite Olympiacos‘ effort to trim the lead, Baskonia kept the distance after a four-point play by Nikos Rogkavopoulos (69-59), but that was the start of a furious 8-0 run as Olympiacos closed the third trailing just by two points (69-67).
With the game on the line and Vezenkov taking over, Olympiacos finally got a 72-71 lead thanks to a three by Shaq McKissic. Still, Baskonia’s reaction was a 10-3 run (81-75) with Luka Samanic scoring seven crucial points.
The Reds didn’t back down, they made another push with Fournier leading the charge, and with 11 seconds left, the score was tied at 89 and Baskonia had the ball. Moneke had a shot, missed it and the result was overtime.
The dogfight continued, Olympiacos managed to get a 102-99 advantage and almost at the buzzer, Chima Moneke missed a three which could have sent the game to second overtime. Luwawu-Cabarrot tipped the ball in, but it was too little too late.
Photo credit: EuroLeague