Α win over Karditsa on Evans's debut
Olympiacos did its duty in the 6th round of the Stoiximan GBL, defeating Karditsa at home 102–82, scoring their 6th win in the Greek League.
The game, marked by the official debut of Keenan Evans with our team, was a close contest for almost 10 minutes. However, right after that, Olympiacos pulled away on the scoreboard, led by the American guard who, in his first appearance after his injury, scored 15 points and dished out 5 assists, securing a comfortable 20-point victory (102–82).
Donta Hall started in Giorgos Bartzokas’ starting lineup and immediately made his presence felt. The American center scored Olympiacos’ first 4 points and continued in the same rhythm throughout the first quarter, which he finished with 11 points and 3 rebounds.
Karditsa started 'hot' with Brandon Jefferson making consecutive baskets and reaching double digits already in the first period, but thanks to the efforts of Dorsey and Hall, Olympiacos closed the quarter ahead by 3 (24–21).
The start of the second quarter marked the much-anticipated return of Keenan Evans to action, greeted with a standing ovation. Evans played his first official game with Olympiacos (last year he was in the squad against Alba in Round 33 of the EuroLeague but did not play, while this year he took part in preseason friendlies against Promitheas and Monaco) and scored on his very first touch, drawing loud applause from the SEF crowd.
Kostas Antetokounmpo also returned to play in the second quarter after recovering from a retinal hematoma that had sidelined him, effectively replacing Donta Hall. The Greek center scored 4 points and grabbed 2 offensive rebounds in the period, while Fournier (7 points, 2 assists) and Peters (9 points, 2 rebounds) were also highly impactful during that stretch. The halftime score stood at 55–39, as Olympiacos had already laid the groundwork for victory.
In the second half, Keenan Evans started in Bartzokas’ first five and quickly showed flashes of his talent, with 2/2 field goals and two free throws, he reached 10 points, once again energizing the SEF crowd. Tyler Dorsey also delivered a strong performance, hitting a corner three to make it 72–55 with 3:29 left in the third quarter, forcing Nikos Papanikolopoulos to call a timeout.
Olympiacos entered the fourth quarter with a 14-point lead (78–64), giving Giorgos Bartzokas the opportunity to use his entire roster. Omiros Netzipoglou scored to make it 80–64, but a 11–4 run by the visitors prompted another timeout from our coach.
In the final six minutes, Evans returned to the game and continued his excellent performance, finishing with 15 points and 5 assists. Fournier also found his rhythm, reaching 15 points and becoming the fifth Olympiacos player in double digits (alongside Evans, Hall, Peters, and Dorsey). The game ended with a 20-point win for Bartzokas’ team, which remains at the top of the standings with six wins in as many games.
*Milutinov, Ward, and Walkup were left out of the squad for rest purposes.
Next game for our team will also be at SEF, on Wednesday (12/11), against Zalgiris for Round 10 of the EuroLeague.
The quarters: 24–21, 55–39, 78–64, 102–82.
