By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
A nerve-wracking contest with lots of ups and downs for both sides that was finally decided in double overtime. ALBA Berlin outlasted the pressure and prevailed over Panathinaikos with a 106-105 victory. The German side put an end to its losing streak and improved to a 2-6 record.
Luke Sikma (16 points) went to the line for two decisive free throws with eight seconds remaining and forming the final result, after multiple ties in the score.
Panathinaikos first reacted to ALBA’s outbreak in the second half, sending the game to its first overtime with an even score of 88 points. After back-to-back exchanges in the game’s extra five-minute period, Nikos Pappas came in with a decisive shot at 44′, while Martin Hermansson once again evened the score at 98 points, sending the game to second overtime!
Sikma had the final say, though Martin Hermansson was the leading scorer for the German side, exiting the game with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.
“It was like practice because we know probably we are not going to win the EuroLeague, so for us, it is very important to learn. Today we learned because we did different things, we want to play always with faith. It’s important to win here because we can have faith in the job we are doing in spite of the difficulties we have”, said coach Aito Garcia Reneses after the game.
Career-high for Ioannis Papapetrou
Panathinaikos suffered a tough loss, though Ioannis Papapetrou posted his best EuroLeague game ever with 39 points, along with five rebounds and three assists, playing for nearly 49 minutes on Thursday evening. Papapetrou scored 36 of his total points before the double OT.
However, the team and coach Argiris Pedoulakis were booed after the end of the game. When asked about the future of the team in the press conference, Pedoulakis didn’t want to answer and just said: “We are here to talk about today’s game”.
Photo: EuroLeague