Panathinaikos struggled for 30 minutes against a tenacious Karditsa team, but by stepping on the gas in the final quarter, they prevailed 78-64 and improved to 4-0 in the Stoiximan GBL.
Zeliko Obradović’s team looked visibly tired on the court at the Telekom Center Athens, resulting in them trailing for most of the game against the outstanding Thessalians. In fact, Nikos Papanikolopoulos’s team even led by 11 points (28–39) at the end of the first half.
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In the third quarter, the “Greens” tried to close the gap and not only succeeded but also tied the score (50-50). Nevertheless, the visitors fought back and, with a 6-0 run, entered the fourth quarter leading 50-56.
From that point on, Panathinaikos stepped up their game and, capitalizing on Karditsa’s fatigue, went on an impressive 28-8 run to secure the victory.
Quarter scores: 19-15, 31-39, 50-56, 78-64
Highlights of the game
*coming soon…
The Game
The game started off fairly even, with both teams trading baskets. For Karditsa, Turner got off to a hot start and, with two well-placed three-pointers, put his team up 5-8. Then, with a 5-0 run led by Mitoglou, Hayes-Davis, and Kalaitzakis, Panathinaikos regained the lead (10-8). This was followed by baskets from Okoro and Jackson to make it 10-12 for the Thessalians, before Yabusele responded with a basket and a foul (14-12). Lesor, as soon as he stepped onto the court, made it 16-12, only for Jackson to respond with a nice layup (16-14). In the remaining time, free throws were made by both teams, with Panathinaikos ending the first quarter ahead 19-15.
The second quarter began with Bonga giving Panathinaikos a six-point lead (21-15), while Gikas cut the deficit to 21-18 with a three-pointer. Karditsa didn’t give up and, creating problems both inside the paint with Okoro and from the perimeter with McRae (9 points), regained the lead, this time by a three-point margin (25-28). Hayes-Davis made it 27-28 with a putback, before McRae stepped up again to respond from the free-throw line, making it 27-30, three minutes before the end of the first half. Turner, with five consecutive points from a two-pointer and a three-pointer, gave his team an eight-point lead for the first time (27-35), two minutes before the end of the first half. Jackson and Okoro extended the lead to +11 (27-39) with one minute left, but Mitoglou had the last word, as he scored a basket and drew a foul to set the halftime score at 31-39.
At the start of the second half, Kalaitzakis and Yambousele went on a quick 4-0 run to cut the deficit to 35-39. However, Pozoglou’s two consecutive three-pointers extended the lead to +10 (35–45). This was followed by Sloukas’s three-pointer to make it 38–45, before Yabusele cut the deficit to five points (42–47) with a layup and reached 10 personal points halfway through the third quarter. Obradović’s team continued to improve from beyond the 6.75-meter line, with Bonga cutting the deficit to 45–47, before McRae responded in kind to make it 45-50. The “Greens” went on a 5-0 run, tying the score at 50-50, but Papanikolopoulos’s team responded immediately. Led by McRae, Karditsa finished the third quarter up by 6 (50-56).
In the final quarter, Nan scored four quick points to cut the deficit to 54-56, before Turner hit a two-pointer to give the visitors some breathing room. This was followed by an 8-0 run by Panathinaikos, with Yabusele and Lesor playing crucial roles, bringing the score to 62-58. Turner cut the deficit to two points, making it 62-60. As the game neared its conclusion, Panathinaikos stepped on the gas and, finding solutions through Nan, Lesor, and Yabousele, extended the lead to +10 at 70-60. Badio made it 74-60, capping off an impressive 24-4 run by the Greens in the fourth quarter, and with about three minutes remaining, the outcome was all but decided. Nothing changed in the remaining time, as Panathinaikos secured the win, prevailing 78-64.
*photo source: KYPE
