By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
With a tremendous second quarter (24-13), Panathinaikos beat Barcelona 93-86 at home and are one step away from qualifying to the top-16. This was the fourth win for the hosts (4-4), whereas the visitors, who have already qualified to the next phase, suffered their second defeat (6-2).
For the winners, Miroslav Raduljica was unstoppable with 25 points, as Dimitris Diamantidis added 20. On the other hand, Alex Abrines scored 21 points for the losing squad, with Stratos Perperoglou having 13.
In the beginning, no team could take a significant advantage and the match was close (9-8, 15-17), with the first quarter ending with Barcelona in front by one point (21-22). Later, things changed, though. Panathinaikos played better on both ends of the floor, outscored their opponents 24-13 and earned a 10-point advantage at the end of the first half (45-35).
In the second half, the situation remained the same, as Sasa Djordjevic’s team had control of the game and was easily retaining a double-digit advantage (55-45, 66-50). But, Barcelona came back. They enhanced their performance on both ends of the floor, made a 5-21 run and cut the deficit to just one point (71-70). Panathinaikos, though, remained solid and extended the lead to eight points, with three minutes to go (82-74). The visitors couldn’t make a come-back (89-81), missed crucial shots and, consequently, the Greeks claimed a big home victory, securing their place to the next phase.