Greece defeated the Czech Republic 94-88 this morning to advance to the EuroBasket quarterfinals.
The Czechs focused on the defence of Giannis Antetokounmpo at the start of the match, but Greece found a solution thanks to Georgios Papagiannis and Kostas Papanikolaou, reaching 11-2 and forcing the Czech coach to call a time-out.
Four minutes before the end of the quarter, Papagiannis made it 16-6, sending Greece to +10. But a 12-0 run by the Czech Republic, turned the tide. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 20-20.
At half time, the score was 45-41 in favour of the Czech Republic.
In the third quarter, Nick Kalathis played well while Antetokounmpo began to have better contact with the opposing basket, helping the team reach the 50-49 score. The third quarter ended with Greece at -4, (63-67).
Greece made it 69-67 with back-to-back points by Ioannis Papapetrou. This was followed by a three-pointer by Kostas Sloukas, as well as a layup by Antetokounmpo, which sent Greece to +4 (74-70).
The national team took control of the match in the last part of the game and kept the lead until the end, claiming victory with 94-88.
Greece will now face Germany in the quarter finals of the EuroBasket.
Source: Action24.
