A win in the 'red & white' Sofia!

Olympiacos, backed by 10.000 of our fans, prevailed in Sofia, defeating Hapoel Tel Aviv 89–85 and remaining in the first place of the EuroLeague standings ahead of the final round of the Regular Season.

Once again, Tyler Dorsey was the team’s top scorer. With 23 points, he reached 60(!) over the double game week and sealed the victory for our side. However, beyond the standing ovation for Sasha Vezenkov and his award from Bulgaria’s Minister of Sports, the game will also be remembered for the return of Moustapha Fall, who was excellent with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.

Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Walkup, Dorsey, Papanikolaou, Vezenkov, and Milutinov, but in the opening minutes his team looked like a “shadow” of itself, conceding an 11–0 run.

Shortly after his first timeout, Olympiacos “woke up,” and with Tyler Dorsey scoring, Tyson Ward providing energy, and Donta Hall winning battles against opposing big men, they took the lead by the end of the quarter, 22–18.

In the second quarter, the two teams kept exchanging the lead, while with 7:46'' remaining in the first half, Moustapha Fall made his return after 10 months. The Olympiacos “crocodile” (i.e. his monicker) immediately became a focal point, contributing a block and three assists (all to Alec Peters), making an impact from his very first minutes.

Under normal circumstances, Olympiacos would have gone into halftime down by 3p, but the end of the first half was magical. Tyler Dorsey hit a three-pointer plus a foul with 1.5 seconds remaining, then the hosts made a mistake, and with 0.4'' left, Bartzokas designed a brilliant play that Donta Hall finished with a dunk; the best play of the game. That’s how Olympiacos ended up leading by three (48–51) at halftime, with Dorsey already on 13 points.

In the second half, it was time for the city’s pride to shine. Sasha Vezenkov, who had been scoreless in the first half, quickly reached double digits, scoring 10 points in the third quarter and leading Olympiacos during that stretch.

While Hapoel Tel Aviv cut the deficit with Bryant, Malcolm, and Oturu as their main offensive threats, Olympiacos held firm, with captain Kostas Papanikolaou hitting a three to make it 67–73, which was the score before the final period.

Early in the fourth quarter, Bartzokas brought Moustapha Fall back onto the court, while at the same time Cory Joseph became the third Olympiacos player in double figures, alongside Dorsey and Vezenkov.

“Moose” immediately stabilized the defense at a moment when it seemed shaky, and Olympiacos built a five-point lead (79–84) with 3:25'' remaining.

In the final minutes, Olympiacos used a very tall lineup, with Peters at the “3,” Vezenkov at the “4,” and Fall at the “5,” which gave them dominance on the boards. Peters made it 88–84 after an offensive rebound with 50'' till the final buzzer.

Olympiacos maintained that lead until the end and secured the win that kept them at the top of the standings with a 25–12 record.

The quarters: 18–22, 48–51, 67–73, 85–89.