Dynamo Moscow remained tied for the top spot in Group F by edging Panellinios GS 76-83 in Athens, Greece, on Tuesday. Dynamo improved to 3-1 and is tied with Red Star atop the Group F standings. Meanwhile, Panellinios saw its 9-point fourth-quarter lead disappear and is now tied with Beghelli Bologna for fifth place at 1-3. Sergey Bykov paced the winners with 24 points. Antonis Fotsis posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, Robertas Javtokas also had 13 points, Dmitry Domani added 12 and Sergey Monya 10 for Dynamo, which played without Henry Domercant and Travis Hansen. Anthony Grundy led Panellinios with 21 points. Mamadou N'Diaye and Milan Dozet each added 11, while Nikos Argyropoulos and Vangelis Sklavos had 10 apiece for the hosts, who used an 8-0 opening run in the fourth quarter to take a 71-62 lead. Dynamo's defense caused Panellinios to go scoreless for the next five minutes, as Bykov led a game-breaking 0-20 run that Petr Samoilenko capped with a triple that sealed the outcome.
Javtokas put his stamp early in the game, as he scored a pair of free throws, blocked a shot and then stole the ball. Dynamo rushed ahead 3-7 behind a long jumper by crowd favorite Fotsis, yet Panellinios picked up their defensive intensity and used a 10-1 run for a 13-8 lead. Grundy, who was very energetic on both ends, and Argyropoulos came off the bench to score 7 points, including a buzzer-beating triple, that pushed the margin to 28-18 after 10 minutes of play. Dynamo’s full-court press stifled the hosts’ backcourt and soon captain Dmitry Domani pulled the guests within 35-32. The momentum of the game had clearly shifted now and with Fotsis picking up the scoring slack, Dynamo climbed to a 42-48 halftime lead. At the outset of the second half, the hosts tried to bounce back with three-point shots and Sklavos and Grundy made it 59-57 midway through the third period. Panellinios stormed out for the fourth quarter and mounted an 8-0 burst for a 71-62 gap. Still, nothing was over as Bykov went on fire and with a barrage of triples turned the tide of the game and put Dynamo 71-76 in front. The hosts lost their composure and cooled off offensively, which allowed Dynamo to seal the victory as Petr Samoylenko hit an open triple that capped a decisive 0-20 run and extended the gap to 71-82.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Danos Tsakalos, Athens
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