Panathinaikos defeated Virtus 90-76 in the ninth round of the EuroLeague, with Mathias Lessort and Dinos Mitoglou being the key contributors to such an outcome.
During the first few minutes at the OAKA Arena, we witnessed a complete score equality, as reflected on the scoreboard (11:10). Panathinaikos gained a noticeable advantage on the wings of Olek Balcerowski, extending to a plus-six lead, and maintained the same margin until the first short break – 21:15.
“During the first five minutes of the second quarter, Ergin Ataman’s chosen ones looked significantly better, but they never managed to make the lead reach double digits. The visiting team’s response came in the form of brilliant sequences from Marco Belinelli, thanks to which Virtus reduced the deficit to minus three by halftime (45:42).
The fantastic Italian shooter was joined by the in-form Tornike Shengelia during the third quarter, resulting in a turnaround for the giants from Bologna. The chosen ones of Luka Banchi showed a masterful performance, evident in their ‘half-point’ lead heading into the last 10 minutes – 63:62.
In the fourth quarter, Virtus ‘broke’ Mathias Lessort and Dinos Mitoglou, orchestrating a series of 20:2 in favor of their team (82:70). The ‘Greens’ then comfortably maintained a double-digit lead until the end of the game, securing another triumph in front of their fans.
The top scorer for Panathinaikos was Dinos Mitoglou with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Marco Belinelli stood out for Virtus with 20 points, and Tornike Shengelia contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Panathinaikos now holds a record of five wins and four losses, while Virtus stands at 6-3.
The ‘Greens’ will host Valencia in the next round, while Virtus will face Fenerbahce in Bologna.