By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The premiere of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament of Turin held no surprises whatsoever, as a superior Greek national team made its job against Iran quite easy, winning the game 78 – 53.
Even though he stayed on court for only 19 minutes, Giannis Antetokounmpo was the first scorer for Greece with 19 points, while giving a strong helping hand on defense (2 steals, 2 blocks). Stratos Perperoglou added 12 points, while the team’s centers, Giannis Bourousis and Kostas Koufos dropped 11 and 10 points respectively.
Iran’s natural leader, Hamed Haddadi, paced his team with 16 points plus 4 rebounds and Mohammad Jamshidi had 13 points of his own.
While Greece started the game furiously on offense, it was in the second quarter where the point difference between the two teams greatly expanded, since coach Katsikaris’ players made the necessary defensive stops that they lacked in the first period. Iran lacked the tools needed to fight back, as the Greek national team cruised to the final victory, also having the chance to use a large rotation, diving floor time among its players.