By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Behind 23 points by Frank Bartley and 19 by James Nunnally, AEK got the 87-84 win in Game 1 of the BCL Quarterfinals.
It was a close call with Cameron Hunt scoring 16 points, Ricky Rubio adding 13, and Jabari Parker also having 12 for the losing side.
The Spanish team was missing the injured front-line duo of Ante Tomic and Simon Birgander, but they almost shocked the Greeks.
The guests dominated the first half, building a 47-34 lead with Henri Drell scoring 12 points in nine minutes. However, things changed in the third quarter, which opened with a 15-2 partial score from AEK.
After a big three by Bartley, the score was tied at 49, and ultimately, the hosts closed the period with a 64-61 lead with AEK’s guard already having 17 points in the game.
Joventut took the lead back (69-66), starting the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run thanks to Rubio and Parker, and they even entered the last minute up by one (82-81). Still with the game on the line, AEK finished strong with a 6-2 run (87-84) and drew first blood in the series.
Postgame press conference:
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