Unstoppable
Olympiacos bested AEK 791-71 and continues its unstoppable course. Vangelis Mantzaris was the top scorer for the Greek Champions with 17 points.
Olympiacos managed to keep AEK below ten points (17-9) in the first quarter playing amazing defense. The Greek Champions improved their performance in the second quarter in the offense and were hence leading 41-32 in the first half.
'Thrylos' stepped on the accelerator in the third quarter and actually put an early end to the game. The players of Giannis Sfairopoulos were playing great on both ends of the floor and showed the guests who the boss was widening the gap up to +16 (59-43) at 30'. The 'reds' faced no problems in the last quarter and thus reached the final 79-71 victory.
The quarters: 17-9, 41-32, 59-43, 79-71
Olympiacos (Sfairopoulos): Hunter 9 (7reb, 1st), Papapetrou 9 (6reb), Starwberry 12 (1 3p, 8reb), Tsairelis, Τoliopoulos, Milutinov, Mouratos, Printezis 12 (2reb, 2 3p), Agravanis 5 (5reb), Mantzaris 17 (3reb, 6as), Hackett 5 (1 reb), Αthinaiou 12 (2reb).
ΑΕΚ (Sakota): Armsted 12 (1), Cooper 12 (2), Papantoniou, Hairston 2, Milosevic 6, Mavrokefalidis 25 (3), Carter 2, Sarikopoulos 6, Katsivelis, Kalampokis 4, Mavroeidis 2.
GIANNIS SFAIROPOULOS: «We knew we had to face a very serious opponent, a team with quality roster and depth, that was coming after some unlucky results and would try with its all to win. We started out very focused, especially in defense, which is our signature game. We succeeded in keeping AEK at 9 points in the first quarter, taking a significant lead. In the second quarter, AEK found solutions, but we were still in control. We widened the difference in the third quarter, being very good in our defense. We relaxed at some point in the third quarter, but we were always in control of the game. We played a very good game, we did not allow AEK to shoot better than 36%, although we received some easy points at the end. Congratulations to my players for a big victory and all the best with AEΚ. It's a time that we have problems with our roster due to injuries, but the players respond very well and they gain valuable experience for the future. It's tough to always play with a small rotation, so congrats once again. After careful consideration, we decided to sign Sean James, who is a player of very high level. We think that he will not be needing time to adjust since he's very experienced with the Euroleague. We also believe that he's a good much as a person too."
DRAGAN SAKOTA: «Congratulations to Olympiacos and Giannis Sfairopoulos, for doing a great job on the court. I will not say anything else in protest".