With Kostas Sloukas and Shaquielle McKissic leading their team, Olympiacos takes the match against ASVEL in OT, 93-101, on Tuesday night (19/1). With the French club coming from a massive win in Piraeus four days earlier, Olympiacos had to put some energy on the court and fight for every ball and every possession.
Kostas Sloukas with 23 points and the triple on the buzzer to tie the match in the fourth period and Shaquielle McKissic with another 23 points were the top scorers for the Greeks leading Olympiacos to a comeback and a much needed win. For ASVEL, Norris Cole was the leading scorer with 21 points while David Lighty added another 18.
Right choices on offense – even better on defense
Despite ASVEL’s strong start, Olympiacos bounced back in the first quarter, made the right choices on offense and played tough on defense. ASVEL moved the ball, with Bako being their main offensive weapon, but got stuck in Olympiacos’ tough defense. Unlike their game in Piraeus last Friday, Kostas Sloukas was not just a passer but a scorer as well, creating opportunities for his teammates but also scoring some tough buckets. Olympiacos had the energy they were missing last week in this first quarter and ended it with an 8-point lead (15-23).
Their 8-0 run tied things up in the second
Starting with an 8-0 run, ASVEL fought back at the beginning of the second quarter to tie the game (28-28). With both teams going head-to-head in most of the time, Olympiacos strengthened their defense, found the right choices on offense and retained their 7-point lead to close the first half, 37-44, with Hassan Martin having the absolute 4/4 inside the paint.
Full court defense does the job for ASVEL
Similar to the second quarter, ASVEL fought back, played tough full court defense and got back within one point (53-54). Unlike the second quarter, the French club didn’t loosen up their defense and eliminated Olympiacos creativity, to end the thirds quarter trailing by just 2 points (61-63).
They were more energetic but then there was Sloukas
Energy and defense were the key elements in the fourth quarter for ASVEL. With Olympiacos fighting back and even getting the lead, the French club played tough defense and showed some energy on the court. With Olympiacos almost ready to lose their second straight match against ASVEL, cold-blooded Kostas Sloukas shot the big triple for the Greeks, sending the game to OT.
They took revenge in OT
Olympiacos took the battle from the free throw line against ASVEL in overtime. The French club committed unnecessary turnovers, giving Olympiacos the chance to run the court, get the foul calls and built a short-point lead which they managed to keep until the end of the match.
