Greece wastes 15-point lead but clutch Papanikolaou's free throws seal the win against Turkey / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Greece (2-1) sneaked past Turkey (1-2) 72-71 (13-20, 27-12, 20-24, 12-15) at Ano Liossia Olympic Hall and rose to first place of Group B.

Turkey / Schedule

Greece Turkey72-71 Turkey GreeceMon17:00

Turkey remains without victories against Greece since August 15, 2015.

Melih Mahmutoglu-led Turkey gained a 10-point lead at the start of the second quarter (23-13), though, Greece responded. They retook game control in their hands, closing the first half with a 14-2 run and building an 8-point advantage (40-32).

Greece's lead reached the apex of 15 points (52-37) in the third period but Turkey struck back and tied the game at 56.

Then, the hosts spurted 10-0 (66-56) but Turkey answered with their own 11-0 push to take the lead (67-66). Shane Larkin and Georgios Papagiannis exchanged with successful attacks and Turkey were up by 1 (71-70) with 1:42 to go.

Both national teams experienced the points drought. Melih Mahmutoglu and Okben Ulubay missed the crucial treys for Turkey, while Kostas Papanikolaou was fouled and sank two shots from the line (72-71) with 2 seconds on the clock. Shane Larkin had a chance to gift his team a win but he could not connect.

Shane Larkin traveled to Athens and played against Greece, passing less than 24 hours from the EuroLeague match against Maccabi.

He finished the game with 10 points (1/4 2PT, 2/5 3PT, 2/2 FT), 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, and 17 PIR.

Melih Mahmutoglu was the top scorer for the losing side, registering 21 points (3/3 2PT, 4/10 3PT, 3/3 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, and 17 PIR.

Meanwhile, Olympiacos players Georgios Printezis, Kostas Papanikolaou, Kostas Sloukas, and Giannoulis Larentzakis competed for Greece after yesterday's win versus Milan.

PAO's Georgios Papagiannis played for Greece, missing today's EuroLeague duel.

Dimitrios Agravanis was a top performer for the winners, accumulating 14 points (3/4 2PT, 2/5 3PT, 2/4 FT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, and 16 PIR.

The game hero Papanikolaou had 10 points (2/3 2PT, 1/4 3PT, 3/3 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 13 PIR.

"First of all, great victory. It is normal for us to have ups and downs. We had only one practice and it was hard to impose any chemistry. It is always nice to play with the national team, especially at home," commented Sloukas post-game.

Greece:Dimitrios Agravanis 14 (6 REB), Georgios Papagiannis 14, Vasilis Mouratos 10, Kostas Papanikolaou 10, Kostas Sloukas 8.

Turkey: Melih Mahmutoglu 21, Shane Larkin 10 (5 REB, 9 AST), Samet Geyik 10.

Highlights

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