Final 8: First step taken

Olympiacos defeated Karditsa 71-54 at the Nea Alikarnassos gym and secured a spot in the Greek Cup Final 8 semifinals, where they will face PAOK (14/02, 20:15).

Without stepping on the gas, our team took the lead early in the game (8-3, 3') and was never threatened by their opponent. In the first quarter, the "red & whites" were solid in defense and found good offensive collaborations, with Vezenkov, Papapetrou, and Milutinov adding some flair (13-6, 5') "hiding" the ball on the fast break after a steal by Evan Fournier. A three-pointer by the French guard/forward and another one from Nigel Williams-Goss made the 19-10 score (8') with the quarter ending 21-14. In the second period, the "red & whites," who played with an extended rotation and had Thomas Walkup return to the court but only for 4:36'' due to back discomfort, struggled to find rhythm in attack. Alec Peters stepped up offensively (29-18, 15') as our team went into halftime with an 8-point lead (31-25).

An "and-one" by Evan Fournier and three-pointers by Sasha Vezenkov at the start of the third quarter increased Olympiacos' lead (46-33, 23'), and with a 9-2 run, they stretched their advantage to 16 points (51-35, 26'). Karditsa tried to stay close, taking advantage of the "red & whites'" defensive slack, with the quarter ending 53-42. In the final period, Shaquielle McKissic became a new offensive weapon for Olympiacos (60-47, 34'), with the American passing the baton to Nikola Milutinov (64-49, 36'), and then to Alec Peters, who gave our team a 20-point lead (69-49). Olympiacos, playing without raising the intensity, did their job and secured their qualification to the Cup semifinals.

The quarters: 21-14, 35-27, 53-42, 71-54