Α win against Aris and an undefeated first round
Olympiacos claimed a 95-84 victory at Nick Galis Hall and completed the first round of the Stoiximan GBL undefeated.
The team’s leading scorer was Sasha Vezenkov with 23 points, along with 5 assists, while Donta Hall was also excellent, finishing with 19 points. Thomas Walkup once again stood out for his playmaking, ending the game with 14 assists.
Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Walkup, Dorsey, Papanikolaou, Vezenkov, and Hall, with our captain scoring the first points of the matchup.
Sasha Vezenkov and Donta Hall were facilitated enough in the opening five minutes to get to finish their plays close to the basket, allowing Olympiacos to take a 5-point lead (6–11) during that stretch.
Vezenkov reached double figures in the first quarter once again; with a basket and a foul at the 9th minute he got to 11 points, leading our team in scoring at that point. For Aris, Kulboka scored 8 points with two 3-pointers in the first quarter, keeping his team close on the scoreboard (21–25).
At the start of the second quarter, Aris knocked down consecutive perimeter shots, but Olympiacos found answers through Evan Fournier. The Frenchman hit two difficult threes and restored the lead for the 'red & whites', who were up by 3p. midway through the period (34–37).
At that point, Igor Milicic’s team responded again, and with Jones converting tough attempts, they regained the lead. The first half ended with Olympiacos ahead 45–43, while Frank Ntilikina got unlucky, slipping and having to leave the game.
In the third quarter, Olympiacos got serious, raised the intensity on defense, and produced several spectacular plays, with Donta Hall earning his place among the highlights of the round. The American took advantage of Nikola Milutinov’s absence - still recovering from a knee injury sustained in the game against Panathinaikos- and together with Vezenkov, who reached 19 points by the end of the period, they were the protagonists of the 'red & white' surge.
In the final 10 minutes, Aris refused to give up and ran a 7–0 streak to cut the deficit to 3 points (70–73). However, Evan Fournier answered with two consecutive triples to extend the lead again. The Thessaloniki side, relying on the strong long-range shooting of Andjusic and Nwora, fought back once more, and after a three by the Frenchman, Giorgos Bartzokas called a timeout with the score at 80–82.
During the same stretch, Monte Morris showed signs of his leadership, hitting two crucial threes and helping our team pull away again. The game ended with Olympiacos taking an 11-point win (84–95), with the trio of Walkup, Vezenkov, and Hall proving decisive.
The quarters: 21–25, 43–45, 63–73, 84–95.
