By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
ATHENS – A wider variety of solid and experienced options in AEK was key for the win, 94-82, versus ERA Nymburk in the third Basketball Champions League quarterfinal and first of Thursday’s schedule.
All 11 players stepping on the court sank at least one bucket. Bench players, including Tyrese Rice and Matt Lojeski scoring 12 apiece, made an overall contribution of 41 points.
Keith Langford led the way with a team-high 18 points. Fellow starter Nikos Gkikas put in ten points and dished out five assists earning a team-high 16 efficiency rating.
Nymburk jumped to an early lead via a solid gameplan, but a much tighter rotation for Oren Amiel failed to hold on. Vojtech Hruban and Jerrick Harding shared a team-high 16 points. Omar Prewitt scored 14 and Hayden Dalton 13.
“We made too many mistakes, too many easy buckets for them,” noted the captain, Hruban, “We did not run enough today. We needed some easy buckets for us.”
The Greek club, coached by Ilias Papatheodorou, will be back in action Friday facing the winner of the Casademont Zaragoza versus Iberostar Tenerife quarterfinal in semifinal action. The final is scheduled to take place Sunday.
“We controlled the game after the first five minutes, we pressed the court,” pointed out Papatheodorou, “That’s why we forced 16 turnovers and destroyed their game.”
The losing side fell to 1-4 in Champions League matches against the Greek powerhouse completing its 2019-20 run in FIBA’s premier club competition.
“Overall we fought the way we wanted,” mentioned Amiel in the social-distanced press conference after the contest, “Obviously their quality hurt us in the end. They showed their experience every time we got in the game.”
Watch the post-game press conference:
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League