Dominant Papagiannis-Agravanis duo pushes Greece over Turkey / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Turkey (1-3) could not recover after a nail-biting defeat against Greece (3-1) last Friday, as they suffered another blow 67-76 (15-17, 18-19, 13-26, 21-14).

Turkey / Schedule

Greece Turkey72-71 Turkey Greece67-76

It was the first away win for Greece over Turkey since 1981.

Greece ran away from its opponents in the third quarter. They closed the tally with a massive 21-5 push and gained a solid 16-point lead (62-46).

However, Turkey managed to recover at the start of the decisive period, organizing a 14-0 run on their own (60-62). Though, the success was temporary, as Greece pushed the accelerator pedal once more (70-62), finishing the duel comfortably.

Greek big men were dominating under the baskets. Georgios Papagiannis had his best game ever with a Greece jersey, posting 21 points (8/12 2PT, 5/6 FT), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and a game-high 27 PIR.

Dimitrios Agravanis aided him with 22 points (5/11 2PT, 4/7 3PT, 0/1 FT), 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 25 PIR.

"We were so decisive that even when we missed we knew we could make the tough shots. Maybe people were anxious, but we were very determined and didn't care about our small mistakes.

Moraitis is relatively young, but he's very mature. He helped us in an incredible way. The best is yet to come for him. Meanwhile, Papagiannis has our back and makes us feel secure. We achieved team chemistry in a few days," commented Agravanis post-game on Greek broadcaster NOVASPORTS.

Shane Larkin was the top scorer for Turkey, accumulating 16 points (4/5 2PT, 2/7 3PT, 2/2 FT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 turnovers, and 14 PIR.

Greece: Dimitrios Agravanis 22 (11 REB), Georgios Papagiannis 21 (9 REB), Dimitris Moraitis 10.

Turkey: Shane Larin 16 (6 AST, 5 TO), Melih Mahmutoglu 15, Metecan Birsen 12 (13 REB, 21 PIR), Bugrahan Tuncer 10 (4 AST).

Highlights

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