By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
One free throw from James Feldeine and a block from James Gist gave Panathinaikos a much-needed home win against Darussafaka (82-79). This was the second win for the Greens in group E (2-3), whereas the Turks remained win-less (0-5) and already are on the brink of elimination.
The match was close until the last minute, with both teams failing to earn a significant lead, however Sasa Djordjevic’s team hit consecutive free throws and secured the victory, as the visitors missed many crucial shots.
For the winners, Miroslav Raduljica made a decent performance, with 15 points and eight rebounds, as Nick Calathes scored 13 points and dished out nine assists. On the other hand, Jamon Gordon (22 points, on 8 of 11 shooting) and Luke Harangody (18 points, on 6 of 9 shooting) were tremendous for the losing squad, but came up short at the end.
Darussafaka made a great start to the game and immediately took control of the match (7-14, 14-21), ending the first quarter in front by five (16-21). Panathinaikos, though, fought back and went on a 23-12 run to earn a six-point lead (39-33), with the Turks being down by four, after 20 minutes in the game (42-38).
In the second half, the Greens managed to extend their lead to nine (47-38), but the Turkish team went on a 12-22 run to cut the deficit to just one (59-58), with the Greeks being in front by five at the end of the third quarter (63-58).
In the last 10 minutes, both teams managed to remain competitive, with consecutive lead changes taking place (65-64, 65-66, 72-71, 72-74), however Panathinaikos stood tall at the end, scored crucial points from the “charity” line and prevailed over Darussafaka, which missed many great chances to escape with a big victory from Athens.