By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Former Basketball Champions League winner AEK Betsson made history for the club in the competition, securing a fourth straight victory at the opening of the season for the first time.
The Athens club cruised past King Szczecin at Ano Liossia Olympic Hall, and with the final score 86-64, improved to 4-0 in Group D, marking not only the fourth consecutive win but also the first victory with a double-digit margin.
Joan Plaza even managed to rotate the team well to alleviate some load on the key players, as only two of them spent more than 20 minutes on the court. AEK had nine different scorers, with Justin Tillman leading the way with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas added 14 points, Mfiondu Kabengele contributed 13, while Jordan McRae was also on the verge of a double-double with 12 points and eight assists. Chasson Randle added 10 points for the winning side.
In Szczecin, only two players finished in double figures, with Tony Meier scoring 13 and Andrzej Manzurczak contributing 10. The Polish side fell to 1-3 after the defeat in Greece.
The Polish side gave a good fight to the hosts in the first 10 minutes, but then AEK started pulling away, leading 36-26 after a pretty inefficient first half. The guests fought back and even tied the score at 47 midway through the third period, but Plaza’s players then made a 14-1 run to end the quarter. The score quickly grew to an unattainable 71-48, and AEK easily put the game to bed.
Postgame press conference
Photo: fiba.basketball