By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
PATRAS – A narrow win for Promitheas at the top of the Basketball Champions League’s Round of 16.
Defeating domestic rival AEK Betsson, 80-79, sent the team coached by Ilias Papatheodorou to 1-0 in Group L on Tuesday.
Inspiring the rally from a ten-point deficit with a buzzer-beater to end the first half, Hunter Hale also tucked in a go-ahead triple with 1:16 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Gameday 1 contest. The explosive shooting guard finished with 21 points behind 6/9 field goals, including 5/7 from beyond the arc.
Adding to the fourth straight Champions League win in Dimitris Tofalos Arena, team captain Anthony Cowan Jr. threw in 20 points and dished out nine assists. Colombian Jaime Echenique stayed on the injury list.
After three straight losses in Greece’s Stoiximan Basket League, the visitors fell to 0-1 in the four-team group. Leading for nearly 14 minutes in Patras, including a double-digit cushion in the second quarter, was not enough.
Justin Tillman paired 18 points with nine rebounds. Newcomers to the league, Brandon Knight and Austin Hollins recorded 12 and nine points, respectively. Injured Dimitris Flionis and Mindaugas Kuzminskas sat out.
Postgame press conference
Switching to Round 16 of Greece’s Basket League Regular Season, the Patras outfit visits Lavrio Megabolt and AEK goes to Kardista Iaponiki on Saturday. Domestic records are 9-6 and 6-9, respectively.
Back to the BCL next week, Promitheas will stay on the road and take on UCAM Murcia in Gameday 2. Hapoel Holon is the upcoming opponent for the Queen.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League