Qualifying, Round E, first-leg report: Panellinios 69-54 Telekom Baskets Bonn
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Panellinios took a strong first step toward advancing to the second qualifying round of the Eurocup with a solid 69-54 victory over visiting Telekom Baskets Bonn in Athens on Tuesday. Jurica Golemac finished the match with 16 points, 6 boards and 6 assists for the winners, while three more of his teammates reached double digits in scoring: Anthony Grundy posted 14 points, Brad Newley and Djuro Ostojic 12 apiece. the Panellinios team defense had the most to say in the matter, however, limiting the German visitors to less than 14 points during three different quarters. Only E.J. Rowland, with 11 points, broke into double digits for Bonn, which will have to figure out a way to score better before the second-leg rematch next week on its home court in the former German capital.
Panellinios started the game in full speed and got a big early lead, 16-5, after 6 minutes of play. The home team tried to keep a balance between the perimeter and the inside game on offense, while its aggressive defense allowed Panionios to soar ahead by 31-14 early in the second quarter. Bonn didn't have the proper answers and struggled to get in a game rhythm, thus managing only to cut the gap to 31-20. With Grundy directing the game well and Golemac having a pluralistic performance, Panellinios closed the first half with a 14-point margin, 40-26. The start of the third quarter saw the Panellinios lead rise to 44-26, but the visitors found their energy then. A 2-15 run for Bonn was good enough to stay alive in the game, and when Timothy Clifford scored from the arc to cut the difference to 47-42, Panellinios suddenly had a fight on its hands. Bonn was out-rebounding Panellinios, but also missed a lot of shots, allowing the hosts to extend the margin to double digits again. Artur Kolodziejski made a three-point shot for Bonn to cut the lead again to single digits, 57-48 with 6 minutes to go, but the Athenians didn't panic and found solutions against the zone defense that was used by visiting coach Michael Koch, a local favorite in Athens for having won the Euroleague with Panathinaikos in 2000. Newley posted a big triple at 66-50, and Golemac made the margin wider before it settled at 15 points, the difference that Bonn will have to overcome at home in order to to survive.
QUOTES
Panellinios head coach Elias Zouros
"A 15-point margin looks good, but it is not enough. We are not allowed to feel safe for the second leg’s game, so we have to go there and play with focus and concentration. Telekom Baskets Bonn has already played four games in their national league, and since we have played only one, I was worrying about our readiness. Thanks to the defense we managed to impose our rhythm and that was the key of the game."
Telekom Baskets Bonn head coach Michael Koch
"Panellinios preformed much better than us, no doubt. They had a great defense and didn’t allow us to find the path to the basket and play the game in the tempo we want. I tried to explain to my players what they should find here, but I failed. I played in Greece for seven consecutive years and I am very happy to return as a coach, since I left a lot of friends and big relationships, like Giorgos Kalaitzis: we were not only teammates, but also roommates in Panathinaikos."
Panellinios guard Manolis Papamakarios
"It is only the first half, so we have to play the second one in Bonn. We won by 15 points, but Telekom Baskets Bonn is not a team to underestimate and think it is over. We are always motivated by playing defense. This is something that can keep you alive when the offense doesn’t work."
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Vassilis Skountis, Athens
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