Another win, this time in Rhodes

Olympiacos bested Kolossos in Rhodes 72-54 and won his 5th game in a row for the STOIXIMAN.GR Basket League.  

Thanks to its good defense, Olympiacos imposed the rhythm from the beginning of the game and closed the first quarter leading 26-17. With Giorgos Bogris doing a good job under the rim and Papanikolaou 'pushing' the reds to the fast break - with both his good defense and his speed - the margin went up to +11 (34-23 at 17').  

Colossus tried to close in taking advantage of our team's bad shooting percentages from the perimeter, but also relying on individual initiatives (mainly that of Stamatis). However, Janis Strelnieks, always 'on fire' from the 6.75m, shaped the half time score at 40-30.

Gaps in defense and poor offensive choices during the first eight minutes of the 3rd quarter, allowed the hosts to have a 3 points game (47-50). A 5-0 streak by Printezis and Mantzaris allowed the 'reds' to close the 3rd quarter leading 55-47. The local team made one final effort to come back (52-57). However, pressing defense and with Hollis Thompson leading the attack, Olympiacos accelerated and put a premature end to the game (72-54).

* Ioannis Papapetrou and Giannis Georgalis were both ejected at 17' following a verbal altercation.

* Nikola Milutinov was out of the rotation due to tendonitis. Dimitris Agravanis and Vasilis Spanoulis were also off due to injuries.

The quarters: 17-26, 30-40, 47-55, 54-72

Kolossos (Lykogiannis): Griffin 6, Harris, Jones 16, Schizas 7, Stamatis 14(1), Prostran 2, Georgalis, Billis, Αngelakos, Bray 7, Papadakis, Wright 2.

Οlympiacos (Sfairopoulos): ΜcLean 1 (1bl.), Strelnieks 16 (4 3p, 4 reb., 5 as.), Papanikolaou 9 (1 3p., 4 reb., 2 as., 3 st., 1 bl.), Roberts 7 (1 3p, 4 as), Printezis 9 (1 3p., 5 reb., 2 as.), Τoliopoulos, Papapetrou, Mantzaris 3 (1 3p, 5 reb), Αrsenopoulos, Bogris 8 (3as.), Wiltjer 3 (1 3p, 2 as.), Τhompson 16 (2 3p, 8 reb).

"We did what we had to do when it mattered"

Our team's coach Giannis Sfairopoulos, stated following the end of the game: "I wish to thank the people of Rhodes, of Kolossos and of Olympiacos for their applause and their welcome. I have nice memories here and Kolossos will always be in my heart".

On the game, he said "We knew we were to face a very competitive team, especially when they play at home. A team that beat AEK and plays good basketball. We controlled the game with our defense. We started well in the first quarter on both ends of the floor and imposed the tempo. We weren't as pluralistic in offense in the second quarter, we did not keep a cool head, did not read the plays well… I think that the ten point margin shows how the game was evolving. We knew that Kolossos was going to react, they closed in, however, we did what we had to do on both ends of the floor when it mattered, especially in the fourth quarter. We only received seven points at that time, scored easy baskets, found rhythm in the offense, which we were lacking up to that time and finished the game in a high offensive note, just like we had began. The final difference shows we worked the game well and were patient enough to get the win. Congrats to our players. All the best to Kolossos".
On his part, Giorgos Bogris got to stress: "We are happy to have won in a tough court. We were expecting Kolossos to play strong. Despite the final score difference, our opponent was putting pressure on us throughout the game. We are happy to have won and we continue working to achieve our goals in the Greek League".

Asked about fatigue and how much this affects him and his team mates, the Olympiacos center answered: "We were prepared. We are professionals. We know to rest our bodies and be ready for every game. Thank God, the team has a deep roster and all players are ready to play at any moment. We proved that tonight. I hope we continue this way, because there are difficult games ahead in both Greece and the Euroleague".