By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos Piraeus resisted a feisty Zenit St Petersburg comeback in the fourth period to grab a 75-66 victory in Round 7 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to bounce back from two back-to-back defeats and improve to a 4-3 record. This also marks Olympiacos‘ first victory against Zenit in the competition, with the latter holding a 2-0 record prior to Thursday’s game.
The Russian side has just returned to action after missing four rounds, the most of any other team so far in the season, due to several COVID-19 cases in the squad, though their absence came at a cost, as they suffered its first defeat after a 2-0 start at the beginning of the season.
“For us, it was a very important win. Congratulations to Zenit. I would like to say that I was really happy that, after a long time, I saw spectators in the gym, because basketball is for fans”, said Giorgos Bartzokas after the game.
The Reds powered their defense in the first half, keeping the hosts at just 7 points in the second period and went to the lockers with a 41-27 advantage, though the hosts quickly turned the tide and with a 17-5 run in the fourth managed to recover from a double-digit deficit.
Hassan Martin led the efforts of the Greek team with a game-high performance of 16 points and three rebounds. Shaquille McKissic stepped up in the fourth and had 10 points for Bartzokas’ squad, while Vassilis Spanoulis and Sasha Vezenkov finished the game with 9 points apiece.
Billy Baron paced Zenit with 13 points, two steal and two rebounds, Austin Hollins added 12 points, and Will Thomas tapped 7 points and 7 rebounds.