A win in Istanbul, fourth victorious game in a row for the EuroLeague
Olympiacos defeated Efes on the road 74–68, completed a perfect 2/2 in the EuroLeague double week, and reached their 15th win in the competition.
Sasha Vezenkov (19 points, 5 rebounds) and Thomas Walkup (6 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists) stood out for our team, which was outstanding in the first half. With an overall strong defensive performance, the ‘red & whites’ managed to record their first away win against Efes since 2017.
Giorgos Bartzokas started the game with Walkup, Dorsey, Papanikolaou, Vezenkov, and Jones, with our captain scoring the first points of the game. Olympiacos made a strong start, taking a 9-point lead (2–11) after just 3 minutes. Led by Vezenkov and Dorsey, our team continued to play at a high offensive tempo, and with the Bulgarian forward scoring 12 points in the first quarter, Olympiacos built an equal margin by the end of the period (13–25).
At the start of the second quarter, Olympiacos appeared less focused on the defensive part of the game, allowing Efes to cut the deficit. However, the Hall–Ward duo operated brilliantly on the offensive end, restoring the double-digit lead (27–40 at 16:30). Evan Fournier added 7 points in that stretch, and Olympiacos went into halftime with a 16-point advantage (31–47), also capitalizing on the hosts’ poor shooting (3/15 three-pointers) in the first half.
After the break, Olympiacos had a disappointing first five minutes, giving Efes the chance to get back into contention, cutting the lead to 5p. after a 3-pointer by Osmani (45–50). Efes, relying on long-range shooting and strong defence, also added the home crowd into the equation. The offensive collapse in the third quarter resulted in Olympiacos scoring just 10 points during that time, with Bartzokas’ players shooting 0/5 from the three-point range.
As against Maccabi, our team made things harder than necessary, and at the start of the fourth quarter the margin hovered between 5 and 7 points. With 4:30’’ remaining, Saben Lee scored 5 consecutive points to cut the deficit to a single basket (61–63), while Olympiacos struggled to find scoring solutions.
With the pressure mounting, Thomas Walkup hit a very difficult three to give Olympiacos some breathing room, and Vezenkov took advantage of our playmaker’s 9th assist to extend the lead to 8p. (61–69). Shortly after, Vezenkov grabbed the defensive rebound following Osmani’s missed three, and Tyler Dorsey pushed the margin to double digits.
The game ended with Olympiacos securing the 74–68 victory, improving their record to 15–8.
The quarters: 13–25, 31–47, 51–57, 68–74.
