Messina expresses sympathy for referee Borys Ryzhyk, gives props to Sloukas / News - Basketnews.com

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Olympiacos Piraeus downed AX Armani Exchange Milan 67-58 in Piraeus,sweeping the EuroLeague regular season match-ups against the Italian giants.

Player of the Game EFF 20 Aleksandr Vezenkov Points 16 Accuracy 6-11 Rebounds 5 Assists 1

However, for coach Ettore Messina, the game itself was of secondary importance compared to the war that has broken out in Ukraine.

After a short comment on the contest, the Italian coach had some words of compassion for Ukrainian game official Boris Ryzhyk, who conducted the EuroLeague Round 27 clash in Piraeus.

"I would like to express our sympathy to the referee Borys Rhyzyk," the four-time EuroLeague champion said at the postgame presser.

"I cannot even imagine what he's going through, who traveled here on such a horrible day for Europe, with the war beginning in Ukraine," he added.

"It's really difficult to make a comment when you see games being canceled because of the situation. We don't know what's going to happen in the future. Losing a basketball game is nothing compared to what's happening."

Referring to the game, Messina admitted that it was far from spectacular.

"It wasn't a nice game to watch on both parts. When you turn the ball over 17 times and the opponent shoots 36 free throws, it's a recipe for disaster," he stressed.

Milan's bench boss praised Kostas Sloukas, as the Greek guard took matters into his own hands in the fourth quarter, when he hit two straight three-point shots, helping Olympiacos get a six-point lead (56-50).

"If there was a highlight in the game, it was Kostas Sloukas," Messina conceded.

"He was by far the best player on the court and decided the game, making two three-pointers and three assists in a row. Congrats to him, to coach Bartzokas and to Olympiacos."

3-pointers this season

35%9,2Points made:9,2Accuracy:34,7%Place in standings:3Record max:18Record min:4Most made 3FGs:Tyler DorseyTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The Italian coach also called Dinos Mitoglou's performance "encouraging", after the Greek forward logged 8 points and 2 rebounds in his comeback game a three-month absence.

The win "was important" for Olympiacos's coach Giorgos Bartzokas who explained that after the Reds' Greek Cup win, "you normally want to take some time to celebrate and calm down."

"Our basketball tonight wasn't attractive," the Greek tactician continued.

"I can say that we did our worst game in the season in the first half, with regards to execution, shooting, scoring and decision-making."

Bartzokas further argued that things like are common after the Cup break.

"I saw Real Madrid score 47 points against Zalgiris in Kaunas after the Copa del Rey. The schedule is really hard. We need to overcome these difficult circumstances. It was an important win, which counts two-fold for me because of the way it was achieved."

With Olympiacos currently standing at 15-9, the future looks definitely brighter for the Greek side. However, Bartzokas thinks that games like the ones his team managed to win despite not playing well, can have some positive long-term effect.

"All games are crucial and one-two weeks can make the difference. The last two games, against Panathinaikos and Milan, showed our character. Our winning mentality is being built step by step," he concluded.

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