Greece’s men’s national basketball team launched its 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign in commanding style on Thursday, delivering a 91–64 rout of Romania at the iconic Nick Galis Hall in Thessaloniki.
The blue-and-white side asserted control from the opening tip-off, storming to an early 15–4 lead within four minutes, fuelled by a dynamic scoring mix from Giannoulis Larentzakis and Alexandros Samodurov. By the end of the first quarter, Greece held a 26–12 advantage and never looked back.
Debutant Nikos Persides announced himself perfectly in national colours, finishing with 17 points on spotless accuracy—going 1/1 from the line, 5/5 on two-pointers and 2/2 from beyond the arc. Larentzakis topped Greece’s scoring with 18 points, hitting 4/7 three-pointers, while Samodurov delivered 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 boards, controlling the paint and glass.
First-time national team appearance Elijah Mitrou-Long also impressed in his maiden outing, dishing 13 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds to complement a well-rounded performance. For Romania, Mihai Maciucea led the visitors with 13 points and 6 rebounds, backed by 9 points from Tzohatan.
Greece’s long-range efficiency shaped the contest, converting 13 of 30 three-point attempts (43 per cent), creating repeated scoring bursts that blew the game open. A buzzer-beating three from Vangelis Bagoris extended Greece’s lead to 29–12 early in the second, prompting a Greek timeout. Romania responded with an 8–0 run to briefly pull within 29–20, but Greece countered immediately with a 16–6 surge, restoring order at 45–26 by the 19th minute.
A 5/8 barrage from 6.75 in the third quarter – including triples from Larentzakis, Mitrou-Long and Samodurov – pushed Greece to a dominant +30 at 66–36 in the 27th minute. The margin peaked at 36 points (81–45) midway through the fourth, sealed by consecutive baskets from Persides and lay-ins from Giorgos Moraitis and Panagiotis Kalaitzakis.
With the win, Greece took an emphatic first step toward securing a place in the final phase of the competition. The national team now turns to its second qualifier on Sunday, 30 November, facing Portugal away from home in the FIBA qualifying window.
Quarterfinals: 26-12, 45-29, 68-44, 91-64
GREECE (Vassilis Spanoulis): Larentzakis 18 (4), Moraitis 7 (1), Toliopoulos 5 (1), Flionis 3 (1), Kalaitzakis 8 (1), Kaklamanakis, Charalambopoulos, Persides 17 (2), Samotourov 16 (2), Tsalbouris 2, Karagiannidis 2, Mitrou-Long 13 (1).
ROMANIA (Mihai Vlad Silvasan): Tohatan 9 (1), Russell 7, Dicolescu 5, Cuti 3 (1), Nicolescu 3 (1), Grassu 6 (1), Popa, Kate 8, Ola 2, Uta 8, Maciucea 13 (3).
