Failed the first «match ball» 

Olympiacos was defeated by Real in Game 3 of the series in Madrid and will fight for the qualification on Thursday (01/05).

Playing without intensity on defense, Olympiacos fell behind early in the game (8-2, 2') against Real Madrid. Williams-Goss and Luca Vildoza, scoring from the perimeter, provided points for the team (12-8, 4'), which struggled to find a way to stop the home team that dominated the battle of the rebounds. Williams-Goss continued to offer offensive solutions, with Nikola Milutinov taking over (21-17), and the quarter ended at 28-21. A 10-0 run at the start of the second quarter by Alec Peters, Saben Lee, and the unstoppable Williams-Goss gave the lead to the Piraeus team (30-31, 15'). The home side responded with a 6-0 run of their own (36-31, 17'), but our team's response was emphatic. By increasing pressure on the ball and playing patiently when attacking the basket, they went on a 2-13 run to go into halftime with a 5-point lead (38-44).

Poor offensive choices allowed Real to counterattack with an 8-2 run in the first four minutes of the second half, tying the game (46-46, 24'). At that point, Sasha Vezenkov stepped up, hitting his first three-pointer to slow down the Madrid team, with Saben Lee following soon after to put Olympiacos ahead once again (51-54, 25'). Sasha Vezenkov scored the last basket of the quarter at the buzzer, in a period where the team struggled offensively, closing the third quarter at 58-56 in favor of Real. Offensive mistakes continued, and Real took advantage of them, building a 10-point lead (72-62, 35'). A basket and foul by Vezenkov, a three-pointer by the Bulgarian forward, and two successful free throws by Lee brought Olympiacos back within two points (72-70, 38'), but the team couldn't retake the lead and ultimately lost the game 80-72. Now the 'red & whites' must win Thursday's (01/05) game.

The quarters: 28-21, 38-44, 58-56, 80-72