Olympiacos take care of business against Baskonia behind an early 13-0 run / News - Basketnews.com

Credit BasketNews/D.Repečka

Olympiacos (1-0) crushed Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (0-1) 75-50 (28-13, 19-9, 16-20, 12-8) in 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season start.

Player of the Game EFF 16 Moustapha Fall Points 11 Accuracy 5-6 Rebounds 3 Assists 1

Olympiacos started strong and built the foundations of the victory in the first quarter already. They made a 13-0 run thanks to Sasha Vezenkov, Kostas Papanikolou, and Moustapha Fall buckets and were leading 20-7.

Georgios Bartzokas’ squad kept increasing their lead, and after Vezenkov’s buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter, it reached 15 points (28-13). Baskonia turned the ball over 10 times in the first 10 minutes of playing time.

In the second period, Olympiacos continued its dominance. They played free-flow basketball with good ball movement. The Greek powerhouse won the quarter by 10 points and created a 25-point advantage (47-22).

The second half was a mere formality, and the Greek club secured a comfortable win.

For the winners, Sasha Vezenkov accumulated 16 points (5/8 2PT, 1/3 3PT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 16 PIR.

Moustapha Fall added 11 points (5/6 2PT, 1/2 FT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 16 PIR.

“I want to congratulate the team, the players, and the fans on the first victory,” Bartzokas said after the victory. “Obviously, the first match of the season, especially at home, hides a lot of pressure, and it’s always difficult. We are talking about a team (Baskonia) that beat us twice last year.”

Rokas Giedraitis led the route for Baskonia. He posted 15 points (3/6 2PT, 1/5 3PT, 6/6 FT), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 16 PIR.

“Olympiacos played better than us tonight,” said Dusko Ivanovic after the duel. “Before the game, we knew how they play and their aggressiveness. That was our big problem.

3-pointers this season

30%8,0Points made:8,0Accuracy:29,6%Place in standings:6Record max:8Record min:8Most made 3FGs:Kostas PapanikolaouTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

This is a loss that hurts, not so much because we lost but because of the way we played. We got into their rhythm. Their defense was good, and our offense was very slow and predictable.”

Despite a very comfortable win, Thomas Walkup said that there’s still a lot of room to grow.

“We are far from perfection,” Olympiacos newcomer said after the game. “This Baskonia team had some injuries; Baldwin being out gave them only one ball handler. Even if we won by 25 points, there’s still a lot of stuff to work on. We are not satisfied yet.”

Baskonia’s Alec PeBaskonia’sade Baldwin did not participate in the game.

Olympiacos: Sasha Vezenkov 16 (5/8 2PT, 1/3 3PT), Moustapha Fall 11 (5/6 2PT, 1/2 FT), Kostas Sloukas 10 (2/5 2PT, 2/6 3PT, 3 REB, 5 AST),Kostas Papanikolou 8 (1/2 2PT, 2/4 3PT, 2 REB, 2 AST), Shaquielle McKissic 8 (1/3 2PT, 2/2 3PT, 6 REB), Tyler Dorsey 7 (2/5 2PT, 1/4 3PT, 3 AST).

Baskonia: Rokas Giedraitis 15 (3/6 2PT, 1/5 3PT, 6/6 FT, 6 REB), Matthew Costello 11 (3/7 2PT, 1/4 3PT, 9 REB), Steven Enoch 7 (1/1 2PT, 1/2 3PT, 1 REB), Landry Nnoko 6 (3/7 2PT, 7 REB).

Thomas Walkup post-game interview

Highlights

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