By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo was available, but France, despite missing their own NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama, wasn’t starstruck.
Led by Theo Maledon (16 p.), Guershon Yabusele (14 p.), and Zacharie Risacher (14 p.), the Olympic silver medalists closed their preparation undefeated before the EuroBasket with a 92-77 win in Telekom Center Athens.
“We were able to execute on both ends, and especially the second half was very good for us”, said Maledon after the game.
On the other side, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished the night with 20 points, 13 of them in the first half, and was used for 22 minutes.
After closing the first period leading 20-17, Greece opened the second with a 6-0 run (26-17), but France managed to keep up, thanks to their defensive effort, making it a one-point game (30-29) and keeping Giannis in check.
Still, the halftime score was 49-43, with the hosts shooting 56% from three-point range (6/11) and also converting 15/20 free throws, compared to 7/7 free throws by the guests.
France opened the second half with a 7-0 run, finally taking a 50-49 lead. Vassilis Toliopoulos answered back with a three (52-50) for Greece, but the pressure was on.
France controlled the tempo, and Giannis couldn’t find open space, allowing the guests to jump to a 13-point lead (71-58) after a made three by Risacher (photo).
Bilal Coulibaly (10 p.) and Alex Sarr (10 p.) also had crucial contributions for the winners in key points of the game, while the hosts dropped to 5/14 threes in the second half for a total of 11/25, which was not good enough.
“For us, this was the perfect test against the most athletic team for the tournament, for my players to understand the level of competition in the Eurobasket”, added Greek national team coach Vassilis Spanoulis.
Greece trailed by 10 (71-61) entering the last period, France pushed the lead to 16 (82-66), and the game was over, as the winners are traveling next to Poland for Group D and the losing side to Cyprus for Group C.