By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
Baskonia got its first win of the EuroLeague season against Panathinaikos under coach Pedro Martinez, while the Greek-side remains winless on the road after three games.
Coach Xavi Pascual of Panathinaikos‘ was asked about his team, and the flow of the game:
“We started the game very bad as we were trying to get back. In the second half, the game was different, we played well. We did not finish the game off strong, missed again eight free-throws and we were winning by four with 30 seconds. It is impossible to lose a game like that but it sometimes happens, ” the 45-year old Spanish coach stated.
Moreover, coach Pedro Martinez also commented on the game:
“We had a good mentality. Panathinaikos played great and had an opportunity to win the game in the last minute, but the three-pointer from Jayson (Granger) gave us a chance. Then on their last possession played good defense, we were a little bit lucky, but that’s basketball sometimes. We have to keep working and we need to improve. Some players are new and have to understand their role in the team, and we’re working on that step by step. Tomorrow we’ll practice and think of the next game.”
Rodrigue Beaubois was crucial for Baskonia as he scored the game-winning lay-up to save his team. He stated the following:
“We had the ball at the end to win the game, so I just tried to attack the rim and thankfully I was successful. It was important to win tonight, we’ve been struggling so we’re very happy about the win and need to keep building, and start our season now.”