Panathinaikos nailed a road win versus Ilissiakos behind 62-87 final game score, for BasketLeague OPAP Game 18.
Panathinaikos was two-faced through the clash. For first half it struggle to establish a pace, but in second half it got game, three-point range, won battles in backcourt and managed to make quite a headway.
During the first half of the games the Greens were unable to pace themselves. And the player to stand-out and sound the horn was Kostas Tsartsaris who seemed unstoppable and ready to exploit any opponent defense’s disadvantage. Ilissiakos at the other end tried to make best use of every play, measuring up to Panathinaikos (17-17 at 10’35’’, 21-21 at 13’20’’, 24-24 at 14’). The clover broke away through the last minutes of the first half, cruising ahead to a +8 cushion (27-35, 16’45’’); same standard to hold at the end of the first 20 minutes game time (33-41).
Return to the floor for second half had a green seal. Tsartsaris held fast, Schortsanitis offered solutions, Kapono made his mark, the entire team chipped in only for it to gallop ahead by 22 points (40-62, 27’46’’), lead to be re-priced to its highest margin at 30’40’’ (+28, 43-71). Argyris Pedoulakis cleared off the bench, Haris Giannopoulos to enter the game and its rhythm for its last 4 minutes draining 8 points down to final 62-87, score to be ultimately formed by a trifecta unleashed by Jonas Maciulis.
*Kostas Tsartsaris tied his record for points scored in a single game, wearing the Panathinaikos jersey, tallying 20 points in the encounter, as many as he had scored back in 2007 versus Panionios.
Referees: Christodoulou, Afentoulidis, Pafilis
Quarters: 15-17, 33-41, 43-68, 62-87
Ilissiakos (Zevgolis): Pappas, Arapis, Anagonye 8, Aposotlidis 2, Hatzis 9, Spanos 7, Antonakis, Μόρισον 3, Creppy, Garisson 7, Paragios 3, Stonglin 23
Panathinaikos (Pedoulakis): Schortsanitis 4, Bramos 1 (6as), Maciulis 12 (9rb), Kapono 11, Lasme 12 (2st), Tsartsaris 20 (3st), Diamantidis 6, Gist 2, Banks 8, Xanthopoulos 3, Giannopoulos 8, Skordilis
