Mission accomplished in Rhodes

Olympiacos wrapped up the Stoiximan GBL quarterfinal series in ideal fashion, defeating Kolossos Rhodes 97-58 in the island of Rhodes and hence scoring the second required win to finish the series.

The Red & Whites were outstanding from the opening minutes in their final test before the Final Four. Led by Donta Hall (21 points, 9/9 on two-pointers, 13 rebounds) and Alec Peters (18 points, 4/6 from three, 10 rebounds), Olympiacos advanced to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the AEK vs Aris series.

 

In addition to Fournier, Walkup, and Milutinov, who did not travel with the team to Rhodes, Sasha Vezenkov was also rested for the game.

 

Giorgios Bartzokas started the game with Morris, Dorsey, Ward, Peters, and Hall, and quickly saw his team setting the tempo. Olympiacos shot extremely well from beyond the arc early on, with Dorsey and Peters leading the way as the visitors built a 13-point lead midway through the first quarter (2-15).

 

Olympiacos completed another excellent opening quarter in terms of ball movement, recording 9 assists, while Tyson Ward, who had posted a triple-double in the regular season game in Rhodes, was once again excellent with 8 points during that time. Olympiacos ended the quarter leading by 14 points, clearly determined to put the game away early.

 

In the second quarter, our team improved even further statistically and played spectacular basketball at times, turning the second game of the series into another dominant performance.

 

Olympiacos went into halftime with 4 players in double figures (Ward, Peters, Ntilikina, Hall). The team shot 78% on 2-pointers (11/14) and over 50% from the three-point range (7/13). Tyson Ward once again performed well as a playmaker with 10 points and 4 assists at halftime, while Frank Ntilikina took advantage of the absence of the other guards, scoring 11 points with excellent efficiency and helping Olympiacos build a massive 28-point lead at the break (27-55).

 

In the third quarter, Olympiacos kept speeding up. Dorsey and Peters maintained the team’s high shooting percentages and extended the lead beyond 30 points, while Kolossos continued to struggle offensively.

 

Before the end of the quarter, Alec Peters recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, showing he is in excellent form ahead of the Final Four. However, Donta Hall once again provided most of the game’s highlights. The American center finished several spectacular plays above the rim and filled up the stat sheet as Olympiacos closed the quarter with a commanding 38-point advantage (39-77).

 

Hall also became the second Olympiacos player to post a double-double, dominating the paint in the final quarter and finishing with 21 points and 13 rebounds. His 13 rebounds marked a season high while wearing the Olympiacos jersey. The fourth quarter was merely procedural for both teams, and Olympiacos eventually secured a 39-point victory (58-97).

 

This was Olympiacos’ final game before the Athens Final Four, which begins on Friday, May 22, with the semifinal against Fenerbahce.

 

The quarters: 14-28, 27-55, 39-77, 58-97.