APOEL secured its third victory of the season following tonight’s game, which took place at Apollon Arena and marked the conclusion of the fourth round of the first phaseof the ECOMMBX Basket League.
APOEL, which had led 46-34 at halftime, maintained the lead throughout the second half, extending it in the closing minutes to secure a 77-64 victory.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Meanwhile, this marked Apollon’s third loss of the season. Blackmon led the winners with 17 points and 20 efficiency points.
The game in Limassol got off to a fast pace, with Apollon maintaining a lead throughout, with the exception of one instance when APOEL tied the score at 10-10.
However, thanks to Jones’s consecutive points, the home team regained the lead and, shortly before the 17-minute mark, were ahead 17-12.
After that, however, APOEL found ways to respond, mainly on defense but also with Blackmon making plays for his team, which then took a 21-20 lead as the first quarter ended.
APOEL played better at the start of the second quarter, creating problems for Apollon’s defense.
At the 15-minute mark, the visitors led 36-28.
Apollon continued to struggle to find solutions, especially on offense, and APOEL subsequently extended their lead to 41-28.
However, Apollon then found some solutions and, by the end of the first half, had narrowed the gap to 43-36.
The game slowed down at the start of the third quarter, a pace that helped APOEL maintain a steady lead.
The visitors’ lead then grew to +14 when they took a 58-44 lead shortly before the 26-minute mark.
Around this point, Apollon managed to mount a comeback.
With a 12-1 run, the home team cut the deficit to three points (59-56) just before the 30-minute mark.
The pace slowed even further at the start of the fourth quarter, but APOEL remained in the lead.
Shortly before the 33-minute mark, Apollon narrowed the gap to 64-60.
Thanks to Simitzis’s productivity, APOEL led 74-62 just before the 37-minute mark.
The visitors were now closer to victory, which they ultimately achieved by maintaining the lead they had built and winning 77–64.
Quarter scores: 20-21, 36-43, 56-61, 64-77.
Domus Apollon (Dimitris Koukouris): Watson 10 (1), Bostick 12, Iliadis 8 (2), Johnson 9 (1), Jones 23, A. Neophytou, Duglas 2, Solomou, Koutouris.
APOEL (Nikolas Papadopoulos): Gaffney 6, Simitzis 16 (3), Sherman 15 (3), Skinner 7, Funderburg 8, Blackmon 17 (3), Angeli, Papamichail 6 (2), Mantovanis 2.
