He fought in Palataki but it was not enough and PAOK was left out of Europe

This year’s European trip is over PAOK on Tuesday night (16/01), with the Thessalonians losing for the second time in Palataki from Tofathus staying out of the phase of “16” of Basketball Champions League.

His team Foti Takianou fought with all her might against the Turks, however, it was not enough and she was fatally defeated by a score 84-71 in Pylaia, in the third and final game of the play-in series between them.

Essentially, the “double-header of the north” paid for the bad third quarter, where the guests even went to +18 (59-77). Despite the counter-attack at the beginning of the last period and the touching tonight, Michalis Tsairelis, PAOK could not reduce below 5, thus knowing a fair defeat based on the overall picture of the match.

Leading scorer for the winners was O’Brien with 15 points, with Austin Wiley finishing the match with 11 points and 17 rebounds. For the Greek team, Tsairelis finished the game with 17 points and several critical shots, with Fredrickson to add 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

The match:

THE PAOK started the game with his starting five of Fredrickson, Schiza, Harrison, Gilmore and McNeese. The start of the “northern doubleheader” can be characterized as sluggish, with Tofas taking advantage and leading with 8-3 in 3′. As time went on, PAOK turned up the pace in attack with two of their points Harrison and his five Fredrickson then equalize to 10-10 at 5′. Winston and Wiley re-sent the Turkish team to +5 (10-15), before Harrison and Beliauskas replied for the home side from 6.75m. for 16-18 at 8′. In the last two minutes, Tofas found two easy baskets and despite McNeish’s terrible dunk before the finale, they closed out the first period at +3 for 22-19.

At the beginning of the second quarter, PAOK changed its approach to the match, leaving aside the three-pointers. By Michalis Tsairelis to achieve two baskets through the racket, the Thessalonians took the lead with 23-22 at 12′. But an outburst by the guests and a quick 8-0 allowed Tofas to go +7 (23-30) for the first time. And while the Thessalonians seemed to lose the rhythm, Tsairelis, with two new baskets of his own, reduced the score to 27-30 at 15′. But again Tofas found the solutions, and with two three-pointers by Gedjim and Winston they went at +8 (29-37), before Schizas and Harrison gave PAOK offensive “breath” and with five collected points reduced at 40-34 in the first half.

And while everyone was waiting for PAOK’s reaction to third quarter, the “two-headed man of the north” entered this period very badly, showing a lack of concentration and a clear mind. Thessalonians had a huge offensive problem, losing touch with the score. At the same time, with things not going well at the front of the floor, Fotis Takianos’ team lost its psychology and “collapsed” defensively, presenting a disappointing image. It is indicative that in the first eight minutes of the period, the home team only scored a field goal (!), scoring entirely from the line of scrimmage at the time, where they continued to get hit in the open court and from missed defensive rebounds. Thanks to a quick 11-0 run midway through the quarter, the Turks blew the lead at +17 (39-56). Tsairelis and Fridriksson, with a total of five points in the last two minutes, gave a deep “breath” to PAOK, which reduced at 62-49 in the period, thus giving a small psychological boost to the team.

As in the second period, so also in the fourth, o Michalis Tsairelis came forward and took PAOK on his… backs. With five personal points, as well as Schiza’s three-pointer, the Thessalonians went on a quick 8-0 run, closing the gap at 5 (57-62) at 32′ and putting the world in the equation of the match for good!

And while the momentum was showing… PAOK, Tofas responded immediately, clipping the “wings” of the home team. With three three-pointers in a row by O’Brien, Winston and Denmon, the Turks jumped the difference to +14 (59-73), even increasing it to 18 a little later for 77-59 at 36′. The home team didn’t give up and with a 10-0 run of their own they reduced the lead to 8 (69-77) a minute before the finale, without however managing to pull off a big upset, knowing the defeat with final 84-71.

The quarters: 19-22, 34-40, 49-62, 71-84.

See here the statistics of the match.