Olympiacos Piraeus defeated FC Barcelona 105-100 in overtime at Palau Blaugrana on Friday, October 16, with Mbaye Ndiaye delivering a decisive all-around performance and Sasha Vezenkov leading the scoring with 25 points. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola watched the EuroLeague game from the stands.
Ndiaye finished with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, seven rebounds, three blocks and two assists, helping Olympiacos secure its second win of the double-round week after beating Valencia Basket earlier. Codi Miller-McIntyre also scored 17 points, his best performance in an Olympiacos jersey, while Jean Montero added 13.
Olympiacos trailed 30-26 after the opening quarter as Barcelona capitalized on its perimeter shooting and controlled the boards. Miller-McIntyre opened strongly with consecutive three-pointers, but a 12-3 Barcelona run helped the hosts establish a seven-point advantage.
Ndiaye provided a defensive spark off the bench after Olympiacos conceded 30 points in the first 10 minutes. He had nine points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks by halftime, while Vezenkov took charge offensively against his former team.
Vezenkov scored 16 points in the first half, including a contested three-pointer at the buzzer that helped Olympiacos take a 57-47 lead into the break. He finished with 25 points, six rebounds and a 38 performance index rating, shooting 6-of-7 on two-pointers and making all 10 of his free throws.
Barcelona responded after halftime by attacking the offensive glass. The hosts collected 18 offensive rebounds and scored 14 second-chance points, gradually cutting into the deficit before limiting Olympiacos to 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Justin Robinson then forced overtime with a three-pointer over Donta Hall with eight seconds remaining. Robinson scored 17 points, including four three-pointers, as Barcelona recovered from its first-half deficit to send the game into an extra period.
Olympiacos regained control in overtime. Tyrese Martin opened the scoring with a three-pointer for Barcelona, but Ndiaye answered with six consecutive points and a block during a decisive stretch. Montero followed with five straight points to help the visitors close out the 105-100 victory.
Olympiacos improved to 5-1 in the EuroLeague regular season, while Barcelona fell to 3-3. Olympiacos will host Fenerbahce on Friday, while Barcelona visits Armani Olimpia Milan on Thursday.
