McKissic-led Olympiacos overcome Barca and clinch Top 3 finish / News - Basketnews.com
In a high-powered showdown, Olympiacos Piraeus (19-9) welcomed visiting FC Barcelona (21-6) at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
Player of the Game EFF 21 Shaquielle McKissic Points 20 Accuracy 7-11 Rebounds 3 Assists 2
The hosts prevailed over EuroLeague leaders, who have already secured first place, 73-66 (13-19, 20-21, 18-8, 22-18). The Greek powerhouse clinched at least the third spot in the EuroLeague table.
For the second place, Olympiacos require either the victories of both Milan and Madrid or at least the defeat of Real.
Both squads were trading baskets in the fourth, while the game was tied at 60 with 4 minutes to play. Shaquielle McKissic and Nikola Mirotic exchanged with successful attacks (62-62), as Sasha Vezenkov got his team in front by 2 once more (64-62) with 2 minutes to go.
Mirotic converted one shot from the line on the other end, while Thomas Walkup nailed a three-point dagger (67-63) with 1:35 on the clock. That was the end, Oly got a stop and Kostas Papanikolaou added a two-point bucket (69-63).
Barca managed to steal the basket, Sertac Sanli sank a shot from beyond the arc, and cut their deficit to 3 (66-69) with 32 seconds to play. However, McKissic poured in both free throws on the other side, Olympiacos stopped Barca, and the Greeks got a hard-fought victory.
Shaquielle McKissic shone for the winners, posting 20 points (6/9 2PT, 1/2 3PT, 5/6 FT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, and 21 PIR.
"We just played hard in the second half. The coach put together a game plan and it worked out for us tonight. We wanted to send a message and I think we did," McKissic said post-game.
Georgios Bartzokas added: "Against such an experienced team it was a fantastic performance, especially defensively in the second half. Although we missed a lot of free throws and a few layups, we managed to win this game by showing character and proving one more time that we're a good team."
Sertac Sanli was the top scorer for Barca, accumulating 13 points (4/8 2PT, 1/5 3PT, 2/5 FT), 5 rebounds, and 6 PIR.
Powered by Nikola Mirotic and Sertac Sanli, Barca created a record 9-point lead (47-38) in the mid-third quarter.
Though, Barca stopped on the offensive end, while Sasha Vezenkov and Hassan Martin answered the Spaniards with a 10-0 push (48-47). Shaquielle McKissic connected from deep at the buzzer and Olympiacos were up by three (51-48) with the decisive quarter left in the game.
Kostas Sloukas and Moustapha Fall missed the match for Olympiacos due to non-COVID-related illnesses. Rokas Jokubaitis, Brandon Davies, Cory Higgins, and Pierre Oriola were the absentees of Catalans.
Olympiacos: Shaquielle McKissic 20, Sasha Vezenkov 13, Tyler Dorsey 9.
Barcelona: Sertac Sanli 13 (5 REB), Nikola Mirotic 11 (6 REB), Nick Calathes 7 (5 AST).
Highlights
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