Panathinaikos crush KK Zagreb 94-76; Need one more win to qualify for the Top 16: Euroleague Recap
With the exception of two stutters, the reigning Euroleague champions, Panathinaikos, have looked solid so far in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague 2011.
On Wednesday, the Greens were playing in their own backyard and they ensured a 5th win by overpowering KK Zagreb 94-76. One more win will now usher them into top 16.
KK has a slight advantage in the first 25 minutes; however a combination of rock solid defence and a strong offense by Panathinaikos completely changed the complexion of the game after that.
Mike Batiste marshalled the Green’s with 18 points and 9 rebounds. David Logan and Nick Calathes both scored 13 while Romain Sato accumulated 12.
For Zagreb, Damir Mulaomerovic scored 18; Krunoslav Simon chipped in with 15 and pulled down 6 rebounds whereas T.J Ford and Sean Gregory May both pounded 12 each.
Mario Kasun’s absence played a major part in the loss according to Zagreb’s coach Vladimir Androic. He was disappointed with the loss but seemed satisfied with how his team has performed in the tournament so far. He added
“Congratulations to Panathinaikos for their victory and good luck to them. They are a better team and showed their quality. We came here to play a good game and we did it for most of the time, but we missed Kasun, who played only
seven minutes due to a stomach problem. He tried to keep playing, but it was impossible. We proved that we deserve to play in the Euroleague. KK Zagreb has quality and I hope that we can make it to the Top 16.”
Zagreb drew the first blood courtesy of a jumper by Simon, however David Logan quickly responded with a downtown strike to make it 3-2. The next few minutes saw intense basketball as neither team allowed their opponents to dominate.
The scores were levelled on three instances in the passage as the game panned into the next 10 minutes.
With seconds remaining in the quarter, a driving layup by Gregory ensured Zagreb entered the second frame with a 2 point lead.
The second quarter was not different from the first one as both teams remained neck to neck throughout. The scores were again levelled at 48 all but a free throw by Gregory closed the quarter with Zagreb ahead by 49-48.
There was nothing to distinguish between both sides for first six minutes of the third quarter, however after that, the reigning champions displayed outstanding basketball and proved why they are one of the contenders for title.
The Greeks initiated a 22-4 run, bridging the third and the fourth quarter, and took the game miles away from the Croatians.
Zagreb could not do much after that.
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