A loss in St. Petersburg
Olympiacos failed his mission in St. Petersburg. The ‘reds’ lost to Zenit 84-78, for the 9th round of the Euroleague.
Relying on their good perimeter shooting, the Russians tried to gain control of the game (20-12 at 7’). However, the impressive Thomas Walkup, who closed the first quarter with 12 points, kept Olympiacos in the game, who by the way had committed no turnovers up until 10’ (22-22).
The ‘reds’ defensive mishaps, combined with Frankamp’s offensive crescendo (he had scored 16p. in the first half), allowed the hosts to find themselves at +8 (49-41). Finally, sprinting from one end of the court to the other, Shaquielle McKissic made the score 49-43 with an impressive dunk, which was the score that closed the first half.
In the second half, the ‘reds’ substantially upped their defense and running a partial 16-9 got ahead 59-58 at 31’ with a dunk by Mustapha Fall.
They did not continue the same way though. Defensive problems became once again obvious and Zenit with Baron in a leading role, replied with a 9-0 streak and regained control (67-59 at 33’). The ‘reds’ continued fighting (76-71 at 38’), but the Russians took advantage of the gaps in our team’s defense and maintained a steady lead to the end.
The quarters: 25-22, 49-43, 58-57, 84-78.
