Larentzakis led the way for the “official favorite” with 19 points – Walkup followed with 13 points and 7 assists
It was late but Greece did its job. For three quarters, Jordan made it difficult for the National Team, which stepped on the gas in the fourth quarter and “cleaned up” (92-71), in its premiere in World Cup.
Top for “official favorite” o Lorentzakis with 19 points, with Walkup adding 13p. with 7 assists.
The match
Greece started with Papagiannis, Thanasis, Papanikolaou, Lountzis and Walkap. National team entered the game sluggishly, with Doverioglou and Hollis-Jefferson sending Jordan to +6 (10-4), in the first three minutes. The reaction of Itoudis’ team came with repeated defenses, as they leveled the match (10-10), with Doverioglou responding with a 4-0 of his own (14-10). However, the last four minutes belonged to the “official favorite”, as with excellent defense and better circulation on offense, they took complete control and closed the first period with a 9-0 run and at +5 (14-19).
Greece continued at the same rate in the second quarter, entering with a 4-0 run for +9 (14-23). Jordan then opened the tempo with Hollis-Jefferson’s return to the floor, but the National team found solutions outside of 6.75m. with Papapetrou and Walkap, escaping initially to +10 (25-35) and then to +12 (28-40), in the 17th minute. Jordan’s response was a 4-0, with Walkup answering with a series of three-pointers for +14 (32-46) and Abbas with a free throw at the end to make it 33-46 in the first half.
With Thanasis’ three-pointer, Greece went back to +14 (35-49) at the start of the second half. From that point on, the match took on a frenetic pace, and that’s because the Jordanians caught fire from outside the 6.75m. The “official favorite” maintained its lead, but the Jordanians were within a breath (58-61) until the 29th minute. The solution was provided by Larentzakis with 5 points of his own for +8 (58-66), with Ibrahim’s shots in the exhalation making it 60-66 in the third period.
The focus on defense paid off for Greece at the start of the fourth quarter. With Jordan “blocked” offensively, the National team found unanswered baskets in the open court with Larentzakis-Papapetrou and with individual scores of 3-13 went to +16 (63-79), in the 35th minute. Then Rogavopoulos entered the equation for +19 (69-88), with Greece controlling the match and reaching victory with the final 71-92.
The quarters: 14-19, 33-46, 60-66, 71-92
Source: Skai
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
