Nail-bitter in Vitoria: Sedekerskis and Granger help Baskonia edge Panathinaikos / News - Basketnews.com

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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (1-2) win their first game of the young Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season by taking down Panathinaikos OPAP Athens (1-2) at home 81-79 (15-17, 25-18, 21-24, 20-20).

3-pointers this season

30%7,0Points made:7,0Accuracy:29,6%Place in standings:15Record max:11Record min:4Most made 3FGs:Daryl MaconTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The teams went back and forth in the fourth period, but Simone Fontecchio and Tadas Sedekerskis helped Baskonia to a four-point lead with to go (75-71).

Daryl Macon made two clutch back-to-back 3-pointers with 51 seconds to go, but Jayson Granger's offensive rebound and two free throws gave Baskonia an edge (81-79).

Ioannis Papapetrou had a chance to win the game for his team after the timeout, but his last-second 3-pointer was short, and Baskonia celebrated their first win of the season.

Tadas Sedekerskis had a breakout performance, finishing with 15 points (3/3 2PT, 3/3 3PT), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 22 PIR.

"We lost both the first games so we needed the win at home especially to gain that confidence and keep winning games, the Lithuanian forward said post-game. "It was super-important for us to win at home, get that confidence, so we have a game on Thursday against ALBA and we’ll be looking for the win."

Jayson Granger added 12 points (2/3 2PT, 2/5 3PT, 2/2 FT), 9 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 22 PIR.

"We needed it," Granger noted after the win. "We struggled the first two games against Olympiacos and Milan and this is a statement that Baskonia wants to be up there. With this extra boost now, we’ve got another tough game on the road against ALBA, but I think we did positive things today and we have to be happy."

Ioannis Papapetrou led Panathinaikos with 22 points (4/7 2PT, 3/5 3PT, 5/6 FT), 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers, and 24 PIR.

It was a tight game in the first half, with the lead changing hands eight times in the first 20 minutes. However, it was Baskonia that went into the final period with a five-point advantage (40-35).

Panathinaikos Athens / Schedule

Panathinaikos Athens Fenerbahce Istanbul91-87 TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz Panathinaikos Athens81-79 Real Madrid Panathinaikos AthensFri19:00

Three back-to-back 3-pointers by Jayson Granger and Simone Fontecchio gave Baskonia their first double-digit advantage to start the third period (49-38). Still, an outstanding play by Ioannis Papapetrou helped Panathinaikos tie the game at 55.

“It’s the first victory on our path towards the top eight and the Final Four, said Dusko Ivanovic after the game. "It was tough, but in general, we played well, but there were some parts of the game we should have managed differently."

"The 4 offensive rebounds saved us but it’s a part of the game and it’s not only the bigs who have to contribute but smaller players too. That was something we did well today,” he added.

Baskonia: Rokas Giedraitis 16 (5 REB), Simone Fontecchio 16 (7 REB, 4 AST), Tadas Sedekerskis 15 (6 REB), Jayson Granger 12 (9 AST), Wade Baldwin 7.

Panathinaikos: Ioannis Papapetrou 22 (4 AST), Daryl Macon 13, Kendrick Perry 9, Howard Sant-Roos 9, Jeremy Evans 8, Okaro White 7 (5 REB).

Highlights

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