Hellas for… kissing inside Turkey!
With their big protagonists Agravani-Papagianni and through her excellent defense, the National won 76-67 in Istanbul and arrived at 3-1 in the B ‘group that puts it in a position of power for the qualification to 2023 World Cup.
After almost… perfect third quarter with +16 (46-62)the representative team τα needed at the beginning of the fourth, as the hosts made series 14-0, approaching the basket (60-62). However, the defense of the internationals spoke there, as well as their big baskets Agravani and Papagianni who “locked” the pink leaf.
Prometheus forward made a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, with the center of Panathinaikos to have 21p.
Very good appearance from him Moraitis with 10 points, while the Σλουκας touched the double-double with 9p. and an equal number of assists.
From the Turks, who retreated to 1-3first scorers were Larkin and Mahmutoglou with 16p. and 15p. respectively.
The match
Greece started with Papagiannis, Agravanis, Papanikolaou, Larentzaki and Moraitis. Ethniki came in very nervous, as they made three minutes for their first points in the game, with Turkey on the other hand making a “break” in the offensive rebounds and with a shot from the periphery reaching +6 (13-7), at 6 ‘. The reaction of the representative team came with Agravanis, who with his own points equalized (13-13). Then, the hosts temporarily regained the lead, but the defense of Greece remained tight in the last minutes and with a 4-0 closed ahead (15-17) the first period.
Ethniki started with many mistakes in the second ten minutes, unlike Turkey which made a series of 7-0 for +5 (22-17), in 12 ‘. Greece’s reaction came with the offensive rebounds for the equalizer (22-22), within two minutes. Then, the derby continued with the score being closed, but Tuncer keeping the hosts ahead (29-26), until 17 ‘. There, Papagiannis took it… personally, starting the counterattack of the representative team, where with the help of Papanikolaou and Agravani he went to +5 (31-36), in 19 ‘. Nothing dramatically changed in the remaining time, with Larkin’s shots making it 33-36 in the first half.
Mahmutoglou entered “hot” from the periphery in the second half, bringing the match to a draw (41-41), in 22 ‘. Then, Ethniki made great defenses and with Moraitis’s shots, it initially went to +8 (41-49). Larkin temporarily “detached” the Turks, but Manolopoulos’s players continued their good defenses and with Papagiannis and Agravanis escaped at +10 (44-54), in 27 ‘. From that point on, the hosts completely lost their… mind, with Sloukas entering the ωση equation with long shots outside the 6.75m. and the difference to jump to +16 (46-62), at the end of the third period.
Bad start from the National in the fourth quarter. One mistake followed another and with Larkin and Mahmutoglu having taken the lead για for good, Turkey made a series of 14-0, approaching the basket (60-62), in 34 ‘. With the return of Papagiannis, Agravanis and Sloukas on the floor, Greece found a rhythm and reacted with 5-0 for +7 (60-67), in 36 ‘. There, the players of Manolopoulos stuck aggressively, but took out the defenses, while with a big three-pointer by Agravanis they went to +8 (62-70), in 38 ‘. In the remaining minutes, Greece kept a safe distance through its defense and calmly from the line of fire, with the victory coming with the final 67-76.
The ten minutes: 15-17, 33-36, 46-62, 67-76
See here match statistics
See here the film of the match
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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.
