The “Queen” also cleaned the Colossus of Rhodes in… her castle!
After the imposing victories over Apollon Patras and Karditsa, the AEK Betsson BC he touched another goal in the Klisto of Ano Liosion, winning comfortably 93-74 of the Colossus of Rhodes for the 6th matchday of the Stoiximan Basket League.
After a big battle in the first half, Enos came out furious and stepped on the gas in the third quarter, running away with 17 points and never looking back.
The leading scorer for Joan Plata’s team, which rose to 3-3 in the league, was Justin Tillman with 24 points (9/12 in the field), while even the Kuzminskas and Randle with 18 and 12 points respectively.
For Kolossos, which fell to 2-4, Utomi stood out with 15 points, while Andrew Godlock stayed in the… shallow with 8 points and 5 assists.
The match:
THE AEK Betsson BC started with Karabela, McLemore, Randle, Kuzminskas and Tillman in its starting five, with Colossus to start with Perantes, Utomi, Jorgensen, Brajkovic and Polley. The pace in the first quarter was excellent, with both teams indulging in consecutive “hits”, raising the score to high levels.
“Enos” started the match strongly and took a 5-2 lead, with the Rhodesians responding with a 9-2 run to overtake (7-11) in 4′. Tillman, McLemore and Randle attacked AEK, with the hosts retaking the lead shortly after (18-13). With Utami having a terrible execution night, Kolossos went ahead again (20-24), before the “yellow and black” found easy points from the shooting line for at 27-26 of the first period.
The scene was similar in second quarter, with the two teams going hand in hand in the score, since neither could “build” and maintain a good difference. It is indicative that in the first half there were 7 ties, while the lead changed a total of 20 times hands!
With a short 4-0 run, AEK took the lead with a score of 31-26 early in the second period, with Colossus answering with two in a row Utomi’s 3-pointers for the 32-31 advantage at 12′. Both continued to find their way to the opposing basket with relative ease. By Tillman to lead in scoring with seven straight points and the Kuzminskas to take the baton in the last three minutes scoring 7 points, AEK closed the half time ahead with a score of 51-47.
The frantic pace of the match could not be continued in the third quarter, with the defenses “tightening” and the players falling into more mistakes. Colossus started with a partial score of 6-2 tying the score at 53-53 at 23′. Somewhere in there there was an outburst for the Joan Platha set, which preceded him Chason Randle who hit two straight 3-pointers, AEK went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for the first time in double figures (63-53) at 27′.
With psychology and momentum on their side, the “yellow and black” continued to play good and pressing defense, trapping their opponents in the attacking part. This had the effect of providing much-needed energy to their attack, with Kuzminskas scoring 7 points in the final minute to widen the gap at +17 for 75-58 of the quarter!
Somehow, the last period took on a procedural character, since the Colossus was never able to get back into the match, showing through his play fatigue, but also frustration at the way he lost in the score. With a 7-0 run towards the end of the quarter, AEK evened the lead +24 for 90-66 in the 38th minute, finally getting the win and the pink card with the final score 93-74.
The quarters: 27-26, 51-47, 75-58, 93-74.
Watch the film of the match here.
See the match statistics.
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
