A big win in Istanbul
Despite being without Montero, Fournier, Dorsey and Milutinov, Olympiacos came away victorious from the Basketball Development Center, defeating Besiktas 81–73 to improve their record to 6–2.
Hall (14 points, 5 rebounds) and Jones (15 points, 4 rebounds) were among the best for our team, while Vezenkov finished as the game’s top scorer with 16 points. Olympiacos showed great defensive toughness, a marked improvement compared to the start of the season. Nikos Plotas also made his EuroLeague debut, adding to the team’s defensive effort.
Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Miller-McIntyre, Ward, Papanikolaou, Vezenkov and Hall. Olympiacos got off to a poor start, conceding 6 quick points to Nowell, but responded with an impressive 15-point run. Led by Ward, Vezenkov and Hall, the 'Red & Whites' forced turnovers and pushed the pace effectively in transition. Besiktas, however, found their rhythm from beyond the arc and cut the deficit to just 2 points by the end of the first quarter (23–25).
The Turkish side even took the lead during the second quarter, while Nikos Plotas stepped onto the court for the first time since recovering from his elbow injury. Olympiacos found score through the Miller-McIntyre–Jones connection, with the two Americans making a strong finish in the first half. Miller-McIntyre recorded 6 assists, while Jones scored 8 points. Our team went into halftime with a 6-point lead (36–42), having dished out 15 assists and committed just 7 turnovers.
Olympiacos returned from the break with greater focus and patience on offense, building an 11-point lead (42–53). Donta Hall became the team’s first player to reach double figures and impressed at both ends of the floor. Sasha Vezenkov then took over offensively, but a controversial foul called against him on an Omoruyi 3-point attempt allowed Besiktas to fight back and reduce the deficit to just 3 points by the end of the third quarter (58–61).
Besiktas moved ahead 67–66 with a three from Nowell, but Ndiaye responded with timely scoring and playmaking. Bartzokas placed his trust in Nikos Plotas, giving the young guard significant playing time during the fourth quarter of his EuroLeague debut. Plotas repaid that trust with his defensive performance. By the time he left the game, Olympiacos had built a 9-point advantage (70–79), laying the foundations for victory.
Jones was Olympiacos' best player in the fourth quarter. With an efficiency rating of 23, he shared top honors with Hall as the two played key roles in securing our team’s 81–73 win.
The quarters: 23–25, 36–42, 58–61, 73–81.
