Peristeri record second consecutive European win; AEK defeated in Israel
In-form Peristeri BC tallied their second win of the Basketball Champions League regular season, AEK conceded a bitter defeat in Israel while PAOK were beaten in Hungary.
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PERISTERI 91-83 VEF RIGA (GROUP C)
Peristeri have made a fantastic start to the campaign. Unbeaten in both Greece and Europe, they made a statement of the intentions in their Basketball Champions League with a second successive victory on Wednesday evening, defeating VEF Riga 91-83 in an exciting encounter at the Andreas Papandreou Arena.
With their loud supporters roaring them on, Peristeri made an excellent start against their Latvian visitors, winning the first quarter by 10 points. Peristeri extended that advantage to over 20 points in the second, but as the frame progressed, Riga suddenly gained a foothold in the game and managed to win the period 24-23.
Riga really had Peristeri sweating in the third quarter. Taking advantage of sloppy Peristeri play, the Latvian club applied heavy pressure as they could sense a dramatic comeback was on the cards. To their credit, Peristeri regrouped in the first half of the fourth period with Will Hatcher particularly impressive, but a spirited Riga team refused to wave the white flag and subsequently pulled to within striking distance of their Greek hosts.
Nevertheless, to the home fans’ relief, Peristeri carefully negotiated the last couple of minutes to successfully see out the match. Hatcher, who drained five out of eight three-pointers, registered 21 points. Mike Morrison and Christos Saloustros also reached double figures with 16 points each.
Riga’s accurate shooting from the three-point line - 14/32 - allowed them to make Peristeri nervous. Veteran Janis Blums, 37, hit three efforts from behind the arc.
Peristeri travel to Tenerife next week while Riga host Nymburk.
HAPOEL JERUSALEM 85-78 AEK (GROUP B)
AEK are not in great shape. Under the guidance of head coach Ilias Papatheodorou, the Enosis have lost their last two consecutive games in the Basket League to Ifaistos Limnou and Peristeri respectively, and that poor form transferred to Europe as they came up short against Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel.
The Kitrinomavri had the game under control for long periods and boasted a six-point lead with around five minutes remaining. However, AEK lost their way in the decisive moments at the end of the fourth quarter, as Hapoel Jerusalem gained vital momentum which fired them to a pulsating victory at home over their familiar foes.
AEK converted 16 out of 29 three-point attempts, with the superb Keith Langford scoring seven three-pointers and Howard Sant-Roos draining three. Langford ended the match with a huge 27 points, while Sant-Roos achieved a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Hapoel Jerusalem will host RASTA Vechta on matchday three while AEK welcome Antwerp to the OAKA Indoor Hall. AEK had defeated EB Pau-Lacq-Orthez in their first Basketball Champions League game last week.
SZOMBATHELY 76-66 PAOK (GROUP D)
Looking to respond after losing to Besiktas at home in their first Basketball Champions League game, PAOK showed signs of improvement against Szombathely in Hungary, but the opponents were the stronger team in the fourth quarter as they emerged victorious 76-66.
PAOK kept the Hungarians at bay in the first half by going into the break with a slender four-point lead. Indeed, the Dikefalos tou Vorra were still ahead by one point after the third quarter, but Szombathely were dominant in the fourth frame and won it 21-10.
Adam Smith scored 13 points and handed out four assists for struggling PAOK. The Greeks will play against Neptunas Klaipeda in Thessaloniki on October 29 before Szombathely face Zaragoza in Spain a day later.
PROMITHEAS ON A EUROPEAN ROLL
Over in the EuroCup, Promitheas picked up their second victory in three matches, defeating Bologna in Patras by a score of 78-69 on Tuesday. Bologna, winners of the 2018/2019 Basketball Champions League, have the well-known Milan Teodosic on their books.
Promitheas had lost to Monaco and beaten Ulm in their first two EuroCup matches. The Patras outfit will now prepare to play against MoraBanc Andorra away from home on October 30.
