A win over AEK in the first game for the Greek Cup F8
Olympiacos beat AEK 81–67 at the Nea Alikarnassos arena, taking the first step towards winning the Greek Cup.
For our team, which secured qualification to the semifinals of the competition, Sasha Vezenkov (16 points, 9 rebounds), Peters (14 points, 9 rebounds), Milutinov (10 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists) and Ward (8 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) were the main protagonists.
Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Walkup, Fournier, Ward, Vezenkov and Milutinov, and the Bulgarian forward knocked down a long 3-pointer for the first points of the game. AEK, led by Bartley, took the lead midway through the first quarter (6–8), but Olympiacos then raised the tempo and, holding the yellow-and-blacks scoreless for the next four minutes, went ahead 17–8.
Sasha Vezenkov had another outstanding start, scoring 10 points and grabbing 4 rebounds to “sign off” on our team’s 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter (23–12).
In the second quarter, Alec Peters entered the game and immediately became a key factor. The American forward scored 10 points in less than 8 minutes, safely guiding Olympiacos to leads of over 20 points. Peters was not alone, however. Olympiacos had several different scorers during that time, with Tyson Ward delivering another all-around performance in the first half (6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), while Milutinov and Jones provided the team’s firepower in the paint, finishing effectively around the rim and helping build a +22 halftime lead (46–24).
At the start of the second half, Olympiacos continued to dominate and with excellent ball movement, extended the lead to +24 with a 3-pointer by Walkup. From that point on, though, a dip in performance in addition to Tyrique Jones' leaving the game due to injury, allowed for AEK to close the quarter with a 9–0 run and cut the deficit to 14 (63–49). The American center felt discomfort in his right knee and will undergo an MRI tomorrow.
In the final 10 minutes, Bartzokas’ team returned to high standards and quickly restored the lead to over 20 points. Bartzokas also used Giannoulis Larentzakis, who returned to action after the ankle sprain that had troubled him in recent days. With the game essentially decided, our team lowered its intensity. Tyson Ward finished with 8 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, while Sasha Vezenkov had 16 points and 9 rebounds.
The quarters: 23–12, 46–24, 63–49, 81–67.
