Peristeri pressured Olympiacos to their limits, but the Piraeus team claimed victory (79-74) and advanced to the final of the Stoiximan Super Cup to face Panathinaikos with the first title of the season at stake.
Olympiacos did… need it on Saturday night (28/9), but they defeated Peristeri 79-74 and secured a spot in the final of the Stoiximan Super Cup.
Giannis Bartzokas’ team conceded 29 points in the third quarter, found themselves down by eight, but in the end justified expectations and will face Panathinaikos (29/9 at 20:30) in the match for the first title of the 2024/25 season.
Sasha Vezenkov was on another level and stood out along with Filip Petrusev for the Piraeus team, which not only did not impress but perhaps raised concerns with their defensive effort for quite a large part of the match.
On the other hand, George Limniatis’ team showed that their performance during the preparation was certainly not a coincidence. With a low budget, fielding five foreigners, but with determination, grit, and good basketball, they pressured Olympiacos to their limits.
17-18 the points off opponent’s mistakes, 38-30 the points in the paint, 15-4 the points from second chances (offensive rebounds), 9-7 the points on the fast break, 38-17 the points from the bench, while Olympiacos shot 21% from beyond the arc and wasted nine free throws out of 25 attempted.
The Match
With Walkup, Fournier, Papapetrou, Vezenkov, and Wright starting the match, Olympiacos quickly sent Peristeri’s Pouliannitis to the bench with two fouls. The Piraeus team, with a good passing game, followed the excellent start from Patton, but their defense wasn’t at a good level for the first several minutes. The 22-19 period score was the result of the unstoppable Vezenkov, with Limniatis witnessing four offensive rebounds but no scores from second chances for his team.
Bartzokas entered the second quarter with Williams-Goss, Vildoza, and Dorsey on the perimeter, wanting quick attacks and his players found some, extending the lead with a three-pointer from Dorsey (34-22 at 16′), but then it suddenly… disappeared. Peristeri counter-attacked and cut the lead to three (34-31) with Carberry and Papanikolaou, but could not achieve more. At halftime (41-34), the coach of the Reds received a technical foul for protesting as Walkup scored a last-second three-pointer from mid-court.
A three-pointer from Carberry from the corner reduced the deficit (43-41 at 21′), with Peristeri gaining more confidence. They built a four-point lead (47-51 at 24′) with a three-pointer from Kofi from the corner. Patton’s fourth foul at 26′ was a significant problem for Limniatis’ team, but Pouliannitis made it 53-61 at 28′ and put even more pressure on Olympiacos, who appeared to be out of sorts.
The start of the fourth quarter (60-63) promised even greater battles, but Olympiacos came in with guns blazing. They scored rapidly to make it 70-65 at 33′, with Peristeri holding firm, responding, but with the score at 76-72, they missed a few opportunities to contest the victory with better odds. Vezenkov returned at 38′, scored for 79-72, and decisively determined the match.
REFEREES: Papapetrou, Tsolakos, Agrafiotis
QUARTERS: 22-19, 41-34, 60-63, 79-74
OLYMPIACOS (Bartzokas): Walkup 5 (1/5 three-pointers, 6 assists), Wright 7 (5 rebounds, 2 blocks), Vezenkov 20 (6/8 two-pointers, 2/3 three-pointers, 2/2 free throws, 4 rebounds), Papapetrou 2, Fournier 7 (1), Williams-Goss 6 (2/7 shooting, 3 assists), Vildoza 4 (1/7 shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), Dorsey 7 (1/6 three-pointers), Peters 3 (1 three-pointer, 9 rebounds), Petrusev 18 (7/8 two-pointers, 4/7 free throws, 9 rebounds)
PERISTERI (Limniatis): Kofi 19 (6/8 two-pointers, 2/4 three-pointers, 1/2 free throws, 4 rebounds), Papanikolaou 7 (1/6 three-pointers), Pouliannitis 6 (2), Patton 11 (4/5 two-pointers, 1/1 three-pointer, 4 rebounds), Carberry 15 (1/6 two-pointers, 3/6 three-pointers, 3/4 free throws, 4 rebounds, 7 assists), Xanthopoulos 2, Avdalas (0/6 shooting), Eddie 12 (2/5 two-pointers, 2/3 three-pointers, 2/2 free throws, 4 rebounds), Zougris 3 (7 rebounds)
Olympiacos Team Statistics: 21/30 two-pointers, 7/32 three-pointers, 16/25 free throws, 43 rebounds (26 defensive – 17 offensive), 17 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, 13 turnovers, 17 fouls
Peristeri Team Statistics: 16/33 two-pointers, 11/26 three-pointers, 9/14 free throws, 32 rebounds (22 defensive – 10 offensive), 21 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 15 turnovers, 24 fouls