Ι.Β.Τ. Crete: Crvena Zvezda - Οlympiacos 83-86

Olympiacos defeated Crvena Zvezda 86-83 in the final of the International Basket Tournament Crete and claimed first place in the tournament.

Led offensively by Sasha Vezenkov and Thomas Walkup, our team took an early lead (2-5, 2') against the Serbian side. With intense defense, the Piraeus team extended their advantage to +9 (10-19, 7'), with Evan Fournier and Donta Hall contributing offensively. Mistakes and rushed offensive decisions allowed Crvena Zvezda to stay close, with the first quarter ending 20-24.

Our team immediately responded to Zvezda’s 6-0 run at the start of the second quarter (26-24, 13') with a 2-8 run of their own, reclaiming the lead (28-32, 15') thanks to Evan Fournier’s offense and Kostas Antetokounmpo’s presence on the defensive end. Missed defensive rebounds and offensive errors led to another run by Sfairopoulos' team (34-32, 16'), but Sasha Vezenkov provided scoring solutions, and Tyler Dorsey tied it up from beyond the arc (39-39). Poor decisions in the final minute resulted in a 44-39 halftime score.

With a quick 11-0 run at the start of the third quarter, the 'red & whites' regained the lead by striking from the perimeter (44-50, 22'), with Vezenkov, Dorsey, and Fournier all scoring. Our team played more intensely on defense and continued to shoot well from three-point range, pushing the lead to its highest point (50-60, 25'). Crvena Zvezda responded, capitalizing on poor offensive decisions and turnovers (63-66, 29'), with the third quarter ending 65-68.

The game remained tight in the final stretch (70-70, 33'), but our team maintained the lead (72-77, 35') with contributions from Alec Peters and Donta Hall. With one minute left, the game was tied (83-83). Three strong defensive plays in the final possessions and 3/4 made free throws from Milutinov and Fournier secured the 86-83 victory for our team and first place in the tournament.

The quarters: 20-24, 44-39, 65-68, 83-86