Olympiacos beat Fenerbahce in Crete in a friendly that felt like an official game
Despite missing several key players, Olympiacos defeated Fenerbahce in the semifinal of the IBT Crete and will face Crvena Zvezda in Sunday’s final (September 6, 19:30 CET).
Evan Fournier was Olympiacos’ leading scorer in a friendly that felt more like a competitive game during the final minutes, finishing with 19 points. However, Donta Hall was the game’s MVP, recording 16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 drawn fouls. When it mattered most, Tyler Dorsey stepped up, scoring a series of points to put the ‘red & whites’ in control.
With both teams’ consent, the game was played with 13-player rosters. For Olympiacos, Moses Wright and Nikola Milutinov were rested, while Sasha Vezenkov was sidelined due to discomfort in his elbow. It is also worth noting that Kostas Papanikolaou and Giannoulis Larentzakis did not travel with the team to Crete.
Georgios Bartzokas started the game with Codi Miller-McIntyre, Tyler Dorsey, Tyson Ward, Nigel Williams-Goss and Donta Hall, with Nigel Williams-Goss scoring Olympiacos’ first basket after an offensive rebound. The European champions started nervously, committing several turnovers and missing shots, scoring just 5 points during the opening 5 minutes.
The outlook changed during the second half of the opening quarter, both for Olympiacos and the game as a whole. Giannis Papas and Jalen Reynolds, who are participating Olympiacos’ preseason, also entered the game at that point, while Cory Joseph made an excellent first appearance. Fenerbahce ended the first quarter with a 4-point lead, 21-17.
The 2nd quarter began much like the 1st for Olympiacos. Bartzokas’ players struggled with their shooting and did not move the ball in the way their coach wanted. It was clear that both teams still are at the beginning of their preseason and building chemistry is a work in progress. The 37-34 halftime score was indicative of the game’s nature.
Tyson Ward was Olympiacos’ most valuable player in the 1st half, contributing 5 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, while Donta Hall was the leading scorer and the only player in double figures, with 10 points.
The game became scrappier at the start of the 2nd half, with both teams quickly reaching the team-foul limit and frequently going to the free-throw line. Cory Joseph and Tyrique Jones became Olympiacos’ next players to reach double figures, although Fenerbahce continued to hold the lead, 52-47, with 5’ remaining in the 3rd quarter.
During that time, Evan Fournier found rhythm from beyond the arc and Olympiacos, despite struggling from the free-throw line, briefly took the lead at 57-56. Fenerbahce ultimately ended the 3rd quarter ahead 58-57.
The final 10’ began with Olympiacos using 4 perimeter players - Miller-McIntyre, Papas, Natzipoglou and Fournier - after Ndiaye had fouled out and Ward and Jones had 4 fouls each. The Turkish champions took advantage of Olympiacos’ defensive imbalance and regained a 6-point lead at 63-57.
Down the stretch, Dorsey and Fournier became more impactful, while the intensity of the game increased as it entered crunch time. Despite being a friendly, both Olympiacos and Fenerbahce made it clear that they wanted to win.
The Olympiacos fans in Crete lifted their team even further, and Tyler Dorsey hit a 3-pointer to give the ‘red & whites’ their first 2-possession lead of the game, 78-74.
Olympiacos ultimately secured the victory, winning 82-77, with Evan Fournier finishing as the team’s top scorer with 19 points.
Quarter scores: 17-21, 34-37, 57-58, 82-77.
