Victory over Crvena Zvezda in Cyprus
Olympiacos defeated Crvena Zvezda 89–87 in Cyprus, with Sasha Vezenkov emerging as the top scorer and undisputed protagonist. Vezenkov scored 22 points, including the final 6 ones of the game, completing a comeback that put the 'red & whites' ahead. On Sunday (13/9), our team will face Maccabi in the unofficial final of the “Neofytos Chandriotis” tournament.
Before the start of the friendly, the tournament organizers, represented by Panikos Konstantinou, honored Sasha Vezenkov and Giorgos Bartzokas for winning the EuroLeague and GBL titles. Meanwhile, Olympiacos fans made their presence known early in Nicosia.
Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Montero, Fournier, Ward, Vezenkov and Hall. The Dominican guard got off to a “hot” start for Olympiacos, making the first 2 three-pointers he attempted. Sasha Vezenkov then took over scoring duties. The Olympiacos captain scored 10 points in the first quarter, but defensive lapses from the European champions, combined with a 3-point burst from Moneke, allowed Crvena Zvezda to take a four-point lead (25–29) at the end of the period.
At the start of the second quarter, it was Codi Miller-McIntyre’s turn to shine. The American guard scored 9 points and gave one assist in the opening minutes of the quarter, helping Olympiacos find rhythm in the offense. Nikos Plotas also made a valuable contribution on his debut with the team.
In the second half of the quarter, defense took a back seat, and Evan Fournier once again showed that he is already in excellent shape. The Frenchman scored 12 points to become Olympiacos’ leading scorer at halftime, with our team taking a 56–55 lead into the break.
The pace naturally slowed at the beginning of the second half, initially benefiting the Serbian side. Crvena Zvezda were highly effective from beyond the arc and built an 8-point lead (64–72) with 4' remaining in the 3rd quarter. Their shooting was particularly impressive, as they made 13 of their first 21 three-point attempts, shooting 62% from three through the 27th minute. Nervousness then took over as the quarter progressed, with Ibon Navarro’s team entering the final quarter ahead 76–71.
Both teams tightened up defensively at the start of the fourth quarter, and the game no longer felt like a friendly, instead resembling a preview of what is to come during the season. Cory Joseph became more involved offensively for Giorgos Bartzokas’ team and became Olympiacos’ fourth player to reach double figures. His basket cut the deficit to just one point (79–80) with five minutes remaining.
Tyson Ward was Olympiacos’ most aggressive offensive player in the final quarter and filled the stat sheet with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. However, he missed three free throws, making things more difficult for the European champions, who entered the final 90 seconds trailing by four points (83–87).
That was when the EuroLeague MVP stepped up. Sasha Vezenkov scored 6 consecutive points to reach a total of 22 for the game. In his first friendly of this season’s preparation, he showed that he is ready to pick up exactly where he left off last year. Crvena Zvezda missed in their final attempts, and Olympiacos completed the comeback to secure an 89–87 victory.
The quarters: 25–29, 56–55, 71–76, 89–87.
