Petrolina AEK secured its second victory—also at home—in the FIBA Europe Cup, defeating Tartu of Estonia 99-93 at “Kition,” as part of the third round of Group 5 in the competition.
For the Larnaca team, Myles Tate scored 33 points, made 1 three-pointer, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 8 assists, while Mucius (18), Durham (18), and McKinnis (16).
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Tartu scored the first points of the game on a three-pointer by Smith-McEwen (0-3), with Petrolina AEK taking the lead for the first time at the 4′ mark on a three-pointer by Mucius (11-8), while a few seconds before the end of the first quarter, Durham’s two-pointer gave them a double-digit lead (32-21).
At the 12-minute mark, Varsou’s three-pointer put 16 points between the two teams (41-25), a lead that was cut in half at the 16-minute mark after Paasoja’s two free throws (50-42). At the end of the first half, the gap between the two teams was six points (57-51), following a basket by Elsheikh just seconds before the end of the second quarter.
At the start of the third quarter, the visitors closed the gap to four points (57-53), but the Larnaca team held onto its lead and, at the 23-minute mark, restored the margin to double digits (67-56) after a two-pointer by Giannaras. At the 29-minute mark, a basket by Tate gave Petrolina AEK a nine-point lead (79-70), and the third quarter ended with a free throw by Rosenthal (79-71).
In the fourth quarter, the Estonians tried to mount a comeback, cutting the deficit to three at the 32-minute mark with two free throws by Palek (81-78) and to two (86-84) with a three-pointer by Paasoja five and a half minutes before the end, but the yellow-and-greens managed to hold on to their lead after two baskets by McKinnis and Tate (90-84).
In the end, they secured the win with a final score of 99-93, as determined by Tate’s two free throws for Petrolina AEK, followed by Maidoh’s two-pointer for Tartu.
QUARTERS: 32-21, 57-51, 79-71, 99-93
Petrolina AEK (Christos Leivadiotis)
Mucius 18 (3), Pavlidis, Giannaras 6, Varsos 6 (2), Durham 18 (1), Tate 26 (1), Markou 3 (1), McKinnis 16, Hunt 6
Tartu (Aivar Kuusmaa)
Rosenthal 4 (1), Valge 5 (1), Hint 1, Maidoh 5, Smith-McEwen 22 (3), Palek 22 (4), Andre 4, Elsheikh 12, Paasoja 18 (4)
*See the game stats here*
