Hours after Brazil scored the first of four tickets to Paris in the pre-Olympic tournaments, Greece did the same by defeating Croatia 69-80 in the final held in Piraeus. The team led by Vassilis Spanoulis made good use of the home court factor and, with its victory against Mario Hezonja and company, proved a perfect contest, with victories in its four games.
Hezonja’s points (10 of his 15 in the first ten minutes) allowed Croatia to maintain parity in the first quarter (22-22). However, the response of Papagiannis (19 points) started to tilt the game for the local side at halftime (39-45).
Former Barcelona player Nick Caathes (14 points and 11 assists) was mainly responsible for Greece breaking the game in the third quarter, closing with a 13-point lead (53-66). And in the end, the great Greek star, Giannis Antetokounmpo (23 points), preserved the local victory.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
