AEK, Aris and PAOK all win in Basket League action
AEK defeated Ifaistos Limnou, PAOK were too strong for Ionikos Nikaia and Aris managed to beat Larisa while Lavrio, Peristeri and Rethymno also claimed victories on matchday 16 of the Basket League regular season.
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AEK 74-68 IFAISTOS LIMNOU
At the OAKA Indoor Hall, AEK notched their 11th consecutive victory in the 2019/2020 Basket League regular season, sneaking past Ifaistos Limnou by six points.
Initially, the visitors took the initiative in Athens, winning the first two periods. Under pressure, AEK did respond in the second half, however, notably clinching the third quarter 18-9.
Keith Langford, enjoying a wonderful campaign in the Greek capital, grabbed 25 points while Jonas Maciulis dished out 11 assists.
At the moment, AEK occupy second place of the standings, while Ifaistos Limnou sit in fifth spot.
PAOK 110-80 IONIKOS NIKAIA
Following last week’s disappointing loss to Larisa, the Dikefalos tou Vorra responded with a powerful performance in Thessaloniki, scoring 110 points to defeat Ionikos Nikaia.
Ionikos Nikaia have now lost their last four Basket League matches on the spin.
PAOK, meanwhile, have five victories in 16 games.
Antwaine Wiggins (26 points), Shanon Shorter (20 points), Adam Smith (19 points) and Aaron Best (15 points) all produced clinical attacking performances for PAOK, who are determined to avoid a shock relegation to the second tier.
ARIS 90-72 LARISA
Fellow Thessaloniki side Aris, who are joint last of the championship alongside Kolossos and PAOK, also gained an important victory in their quest for survival, comfortably beating Larisa in Macedonia.
Having come flying out of the blocks, Aris almost put the game to bed in the first quarter, claiming it 23-8.
This defeat snaps Larisa’s three-game winning streak.
Vladimir Dragicevic shone for Aris with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists.
LAVRIO 78-68 KOLOSSOS RODOU
The misery continues for Kolossos. Without a win since late December, Kolossos contrived to concede their seventh defeat in eight games, coming up short against Lavrio on the road.
Lavrio, on the other hand, recovered successfully from their heavy defeat to Panathinaikos in Athens on matchday 15.
Quenton Decosey once again took a leading role for Lavrio, registering 20 points, four rebounds and three assists to help his team earn a key victory which keeps them in sixth position of the Basket League table.
Kolossos are in 12th spot with a poor 5-11 record.
PANIONIOS 48-61 PERISTERI
It wasn’t a particularly great game of basketball in Palaio Faliro.
In truth, it was a rather forgettable affair between Panionios and Peristeri, but the visitors did come out on top 61-48 with a solid defensive showing. Panionios lost hope of emerging victorious when only scoring four points in the second quarter.
The Panthers have lost four of their last five league matches.
Inconsistent Peristeri did well to recover from their Basketball Champions League loss to Nizhny Novgorod in Russia midweek.
Steven Gray (15) and Zois Karampelas (10) reached double figures in terms of points for Peristeri.
RETHYMNO CRETAN KINGS 69-63 IRAKLIS
Rethymno are gradually gaining form. On Saturday, they were given a tough test by visiting Iraklis, but solid defensive play in the fourth quarter allowed the Cretans to earn a 69-63 victory on home court.
They have now picked up three victories in their most recent four Basket League games.
Iraklis, however, have suffered three defeats on the bounce.
Conner Frankamp, the main Rethymno star, scored 19 points, offloaded six assists and grabbed five rebounds.
