By Yiannis Bouranis/ info@eurohoops.net
With a decent performance for 40 minutes, Crvena Zvezda earned a big victory on the road against Panathinaikos (63-74). This was the first win for the Serbians in group E (1-2), whereas Sasa Djordjevic’s team suffered its second defeat (1-2).
For the winners, Maik Zirbes had 12 points, with Stefan Jovic adding nine points and eight assists. On the other hand, James Gist scored 15 points for the losing squad.
Although Panathinaikos seemed to make a better start to the game (4-0), Crvena Zvezda managed to remain competitive (9-11) and ended the first quarter in front by two (14-16), with both teams missing many field goals. Later, things didn’t change much. Both teams were playing mediocre offensively (21-22), but the Serbians continued to have control of the game (30-37) and closed the first half with a four-point lead (34-38).
In the second half, the visitors immediately went on a 6-0 run and extended their advantage to double digits (34-44). The hosts, though, responded, enhanced their overall performance and cut the deficit to two points (48-50), behind a 14-6 run of their own. However, Crvena Zvezda stood tall and had a six-point lead after 30 minutes in the game (48-54).
In the last quarter, the Serbians went on a 7-3 run and brought their advantage back to double digits (51-61), with the Greens playing badly offensively and being unable to make a come-back (58-71). Things didn’t change much in the remaining minutes and the visitors claimed a big win on the road, whereas the Greeks suffered a painful defeat.