Greece overcomes New Zealand, advances to the next round / News - Basketnews.com

Greece had to suffer quite a bit to get rid of New Zealand but thanks to a great Ioannis Papapetrou was able to overcome the Tall Blacks and advanced to the next round of the FIBA World Cup.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

After a very intense battle, Greece overcame New Zealand and won the decisive game with the final score of 83-74 (15-20, 17-23, 18-11, 33-20)

New Zealand / Schedule

USA New Zealand99-72 New Zealand Jordan95-87 Greece New Zealand83-74

New Zealand played an amazing first half, ending the first 20 minutes of basketball up by 11 points, with Greece struggling to keep the pace of the Tall Blacks.

But in the second half, the situation changed drastically. Ioannis Papapetrou and Giannoulis Larentzakis took most of the offensive load on their shoulders and delivered an impressive offensive performance for coach Itoudis' side.

On the other hand, New Zealand's offense stagnated in the second half, suffering from the improved pressure imposed by Greece. Coach Itoudis' side was able to turn the game around on the defensive end with Thanasis Antetokounmpo providing the necessary spark.

Ioannis Papapetrou was the top scorer for Greece with 27 points and 6 rebounds. Larentzakis also had an impressive performance with 20 points and 2 rebounds.

For New Zealand, Shea Ili was the top scorer with 27 points and 8 assists.

With this win, Greece clinches second place in the group behind Team USA.

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