By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
In Day 5 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz got an impressive last minute, 85-84, at home victory against Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens, their first of the season, while the visitors slipped to 2-3.
The final minute: Even though Baskonia was down four points (84-80) with 30 seconds on the clock, the home team made it a one-point game thanks to Granger’s three-pointer. It all came down to a final possession, where Nikos Pappas was blocked by Toko Shengelia with 10 seconds to go. Baskonia ran in transition and Beaubois’ hit the game-winning lay-up with just one second left!
The game: Vitoria’s team managed to come up on top with a 15-0 run, increasing its lead to 11-points (22-11) after six minutes of action. Panathinaikos, however, responded quickly and so the first quarter ended 27-24.
With Shengelia, Granger and Beaubois’s shots and dunks, the home team increased the lead to 10-points in the second quarter (42-32). Panathinaikos’ once more responded with a great Singleton and cut the deficit down to just two points by half-time (47-45).
In the second half, Pappas together with KC Rivers put Panathinaikos up by four-points (54-58) in the 25th minute, while in the final 10 minutes of the game, Panathinaikos seemed to have control of the game as they increased their lead to 7-points (65-72) seven minutes before the end. Baskonia, however, tied the game (74-74), Pappas gave to Panathinaikos to a four-point lead with 30 seconds on the clock, but the hosts survived.
The star: For the winners, Rodrigue Beaubois made the most important shot of the night and finished with 15 points while Jayson Granger had a good game with 20 points and clutch shots. Tornike Shengelia added 15 and a crucial block on Pappas with just 10 seconds on the clock.
Not enough: Nick Calathes for the losing side finished with a double-double: 14 points and 13 assists (career-high). Nikos Pappas added 22 points, while Chris Singleton and James Gist followed with 15 and 16 points each.