Keravnos fell short, despite having home-court advantage against King Szczecin of Poland in the third matchday of Group 4 of the FIBA Europe Cup.
Keravnos lost 78-65 despite their best efforts, but the visiting team took the lead and maintained it throughout the second half, playing as a well-coordinated unit on both ends of the court.
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Two out of two in the ENBL for TRIA EKA AEL
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At halftime, the Poles were ahead 41-39, while it should be noted that Givance did not play for Keravnos, aside from the fact that the home team also faced several foul trouble issues.
Crockett led Keravnos with 20 points and 22 efficiency points.
The game began with the Polish team leading 13–5, as the visitors, playing at a fast pace, reached Keravnos’s basket with relative ease.
However, the home team fought back; after first stepping up their defensive pressure, they gradually chipped away at the deficit.
Thus, just before the 9-minute mark and following a 13-4 run, Keravnos took the lead at 18-17, but at the 10-minute mark, King Szczecin regained the lead at 22-18.
Overall, the pace was fast, a trend that continued into the early stages of the second quarter, with the lead changing hands, while Allen was scoring several points for the Cypriot team, which took a 36-34 lead just before the 17-minute mark.
However, a problem for Keravnos was the three fouls charged to Pasialis, Tigkas, and Grimes.
At the end of the first half, King Szczecin led 41-39.
The early stages of the third quarter unfolded at a more intense pace than the first half, but the Polish team maintained a small yet steady lead.
At the 24-minute mark, the score stood at 52-46 in favor of the visitors.
The Polish team seemed quite focused, and Keravnos had to find a way to disrupt their rhythm.
However, the deficit then widened to 10 points (60–50), always to Keravnos’s detriment; by the end of the third quarter, they had narrowed the gap to 60-55, and of course, a 5-point deficit was still surmountable.
The fourth quarter began with several challenges for Keravnos, as Pasialis, Tigkas, and Grimes had each been called for their fourth foul.
At the 33-minute mark, the score was 64–58 in favor of the Poles, who, despite intense defensive pressure from Keravnos, managed to hold their ground and maintain the lead.
In the end, King Szczecin secured the victory with a final score of 78–65.
Quarter scores: 18–22, 39–41, 55–60, 65–78.
Keravnos (Vasilis Kounas): Giannaras 2, Pasialis 3, Michael 3, Stylianou 3 (1), Koumis, Tigkas, Flowers 11, Allen 17 (3), Crockett 20, Grimes 6.
King Szczecin (Maciej Macjerek): Porter 17 (3), Chassang, Gielo 17 (3), Witlkinski 10, Sehnal 15 (5), Reynolds 2, McCaffery 2, Ucieszynski 4, Kostrewski 11 (1).
