Not even with Peristeri did AEK manage to break the pomegranate and celebrate its first home victory in 2024.
Spanoulis’ team beat the Union 101-97 in Liosia for the 22nd and final game of the regular season of the Basket League in a game where the defenses went for a walk and left them waiting for sixth place.
In order for Dikefalos to enter the playoffs, they want either Kolossos to lose to Maroussi or, if the Rhodes team wins, PAOK to do a double in Karditsa.
In this case, there will be a three-way tie that favors AEK and leaves it sixth. However, tied only with Kolossos, the islanders will come sixth. Third with 15-7 Peristeri, at 9-13 AEK who… waits.
Ragland with 19 points and 10 assists was the leader for Peristeri, who had Love as the top scorer with 20 points. On the other hand, McRae made a terrible appearance for AEK with 27 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, but he failed to make them happy.
The game, despite being tough from the start, went to a high score. McRae and Hall from the home side and Love and Renfro for the “blue and yellow” aggressively led their teams that were tied 29-29 at the end of the first period. Peristeri continued to take advantage of AEK’s defensive gaps -which also lost Knight with an injury at 5′-, especially near the basket and took a small lead that reached +5 (39-44) at 15′ with Ragland’s three-pointer. The hosts tried to eat away at the difference, but five points in a row by Mitro Long brought the guests to +9 (46-55) for the first time, with Peristeri going to the locker room with a difference of seven points (51-58).
With a quick 4-0, the guests sent the difference in their favor to its maximum value, +11, with Dangubic making the score 51-62, while a little later Thompson with a foul goal made it 55-65. At that point, AEK made its counterattack. With McRae continuing to score and Kouseloglou being a factor in both rackets, the “yellow and black” went on an 11-0 run to take a 66-65 lead at 26′. The lead changed hands several times until 76-76 at 30′.
The three-pointer by Karabela and four consecutive points by McRae brought AEK to +5 for the first time with the score 90-85 in the middle of the fourth quarter, but again Peristeri found solutions, with Ragland and Mitrou Long, taking again head in the score, with 98-93, 1’14” before the finale. After two poor attacks, McRae cut to 95-98 at 30″, Love’s offensive rebound took the American to the line with 12.4″ to go and the 2/2 American posted 95-100. Kuzminskas reduced it to 97-100 at 7.6″, while at 6.7″ Kaselakis had 1/2 shots for 97-101, which was also the final score as the home team’s last shot missed the target.
The quarters: 29-29, 51-58, 76-76, 97-101
AEK (Zouros): Hall 5 (0/4 shots, 5 rebounds, 9 assists), Agravanis 12, Hatzidakis 4, Knight 2, McRae 27 (10/14 2-pointers, 0/3 3-pointers, 7/7 shots), Randle 2 (1/7 shots ), Karabelas 6 (2), Hollins 5 (1), Netzipoglou 8 (1), Kuzminskas 13 (3/3 2-pointers, 1/1 3-pointer, 4/4 shots, 5 rebounds), Kouseloglou 13 (4 rebounds).
Peristeri (Spanoulis): Mitrou-Long 10 (2/4 3-pointers), Ragland 19 (2/5 2-pointers, 4/7 3-pointers, 3/3 shots, 10 assists), Kaselakis 8 (1), Williams 7 (1), Thompson 9 (4/ 4 two-pointers, 1/1 shot), Dangubic 12 (2), Xanthopoulos, Lav 20 (5/6 two-pointers, 0/1 three-pointer, 10/11 shots), Poulianitis, Renfro 16 (7/11 two-pointers, 2/3 shots , 9 rebounds), Hugaz, Zougris.