Aris defeated Dertona 88-68 at the Alexandrio, went 3-0 in the EuroCup, and remained undefeated in the competition. The “Yellows” withstood the Italians’ comeback and showed the necessary defensive consistency at the most critical point of the game, when they turned a 68-64 lead into a comfortable margin, holding their opponents scoreless for more than four minutes.
Vassilis Spanoulis’s team came out strong and, with a well-rounded offensive effort, took a 31-21 lead in the first quarter. Dertona, however, fought back in the second quarter, capitalizing on Aris’s lapses and narrowing the gap, heading into halftime down by just one point (45-44). The third quarter was a tighter affair, with the Thessaloniki team maintaining the lead, but the visitors staying close on the scoreboard.
Dertona closed the gap to 68-64 in the fourth quarter and put pressure on Aris, but that’s when the home team mounted the response they needed. With strong defense and smart offensive decisions, they held the Italians scoreless for more than four minutes and began to build their lead again. Matt Morgan provided key plays, while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl played a decisive role in the final stretch, with Aris extending their lead to +20 and closing out the game with a 26-13 run in the final quarter.
Aris’s leading scorer was Matt Morgan with 23 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field, 3-for-7 from three-point range, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl followed with 19 points and 9 rebounds, posting a rating of 25, while Neno Dimitrijevic added 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
With this victory, Aris improved to 3-0, remaining undefeated in the EuroCup. In contrast, Derthona fell to 1-2, paying dearly for the offensive slump it suffered at a crucial point in the game.
The quarter scores: 31-21, 45-44, 62-55, 88-68.
