Galery

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Emanuela Karastoyanova

The game between basketball teams Maroussi and Panathinaikos, which took place in OAKA as part of the Top 16 of the Euroleague, ended with 80:78. 

Although the green team wanted to win this game and erase the foul start (losing against the team of Partizan Belgrade on their grounds), it failed to achieve its goal last night. The game was tense and difficult, as expected that it would be when two Greek teams are in the same round due to the draw.

The game began with attacks by both sides. Guests and hosts were piling up points as they chased each other literally hand in hand - on points won by Panathinaikos, Maroussi immediately responded with an attack ending with a ball in the basket. Thus, in the 6th minute of the first half the result was 9: 9. Good scores were made by Pekovich (Panathinaikos, with 3 points) and Pelekanos and Billy Keys and from Maroussi. After that both teams embarked on gaining points again hand in hand and so the result was 11.11, then 15:15... For a moment the green team kept their lead through a basket scored by Pekovich after well organized and thought play by Spanoulis. Maroussi did not delay the response, and so again the result was equalized to 21:21, then a basket of Nadzhfedzhi brought the score to 23:23 tensioning the nerves both of players and the audience. Followed was a lead by the guests after a basket by Mavroidis, but the hosts equaled again and so the result was brought to 25:25 leaving both teams tense. The hosts managed to win the lead shortly before the end of the first half and so it ended with 37:40 for Maroussi. 

The second half brought similar emotions and prolonged the agony of both the audience and the two teams to infinity, in a game in which patience was running out. Both teams were moving in the game with equal results. For a moment the green team led with 53:55, but Billy Keys did not delay his response and brought the result to 55:55. With the following basket of Keys again, Maroussi won significant lead with 69:65. Shortly before the end of the game Billy Keys and Lakkas scored more points and Maroussi led with 77:72.  Mavroidis scored and increased the result to 79:72 for the guests. Following was a repeat of the first half with a long-held score 79:77 for Maroussi and a score by Kaymakoglu, which brought the result to 80:78 for the guests. 
  

Maroussi (George Bartzokas): Kendall, Keys, Pelka, Batis, Homan, Diamandopulos, Mavroidis, Kalatis, Arigbabu, Nadzhfedzhi, Kaymakoglu, Kumburas, Lakkas 

Panathinaikos (Zeljko Obradovic): Tepich, Spanoulis, Perperoglou, Baptiste, Fotsis, Haislip, Nicholas, Diamantidis, Pekovic, Calathes, Shermadini, Verginis, Bogris, Jasikevicius