By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
George Papagiannis scored eight out of his team-high 15 points in the last 3:12 as Fenerbahce Beko repelled a comeback effort by Olympiacos Piraeus from down 16 to take a 79 – 77 home win.
“We had a big difference but they came back,” Papagiannis said. His team is now 5-1. “Olympiacos has been to the Final Four two times in a row. It’s not by luck. But we were prepared and knew from the first day of practices that it’s going to be a tough game. We started the game really good we finished on a positive mindset and we got the win.”
Papagiannis scored triples for the 74 – 71 and the 79 – 74 with 1:10 to play. Alec Peters quickly cut that deficit to 79 – 77 and then Fenerbahce grabbed two offensive rebounds in a row after missed opportunities to renew possessions. After the ball went out of bounds following a missed three by Scottie Wilbekin, the referees reversed a decision that gave Fenerbahce the ball and Olympiacos had 17 seconds to tie or win the game.
Nigel Williams-Goss, who had made a triple for the 74 – 74, missed the floater and then Nikola Milutinov didn’t manage to tip the ball in at the buzzer as Olympiacos dropped to 3-3.
“A win is a win”
“I hope we’re not going to have something questionable after Instant Replay again, That’s not a comment against somebody, I just hope we won’t have it again, ” Fenerbahce coach Dimitris Itoudis mentioned on the referees giving possession to Olympiacos in the final seconds after initially calling that the ball went out of bounds from a player of the Greek team. “Congratulations to the team for the win and congratulations to the fans for the atmosphere. There was a lot of strategy in the game. Congratulations to Olympiacos too. A win is a win.”
Dyshawn Pierre had 14 points for Fenerbahce by halftime but didn’t play after the break due to leg pain. Johnathan Motley added 10 points for the Turkish side that led by up to 29 – 13 and was ahead 46 – 33 at the end of the first half before Olympiacos turned the game around.
Alec Peters had 19 points and six rebounds, Isaiah Canaan delivered 15 points and Williams-Goss scored 13 for Olympiacos. The Reds approached by a shooting distance, 48 – 46 halfway through the third period, and tied the game at 71 with 3:35 to play. Then Papagiannis happened with big buckets and a key defensive play before the last thrilling minute.
“We had a second half which was much better in comparison to the first one,” said Olympiacos coach Giorgos Bartzokas. “There’s a question mark on an offensive foul they gave to Peters at the last minute of the game. It is what it is. We had a chance to tie the game. Congratulations to the players and congratulations to Fener.”
After the game, Olympiacos issued an official press release, protesting for the last play of the game.