Athinaiou steps up to evade Greek tragedy in Leicester

LEICESTER (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Giannis Athinaiou was the man of the hour for Greece, draining a game-winning basket in overtime against Great Britain to help the Greeks to a 95-92 victory at Leicester Arena.

There could not have been a more dramatic way for Greece to start their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers campaign, with the Thanasis Skourtopoulos-coached side surviving by the slightest of threads.

Turning Point: Down 92-91 with just seconds remaining in overtime, Greece had plenty of time for their last possession, but the game did not turn their way before the clock had reached the 3.4 second mark, when Athinaiou's difficult step-back three-pointer swished the net.

Game Hero: Although Ioannis Bourousis had an unstoppable 32-point game, the game hero honors belong solely to Giannis Athinaiou who not only had a well-rounded 18-point, 4-assist and 3-rebound performance, but also stepped up in a time of need for the team.

Stats Don't Lie: The advantage Greece created on the glass, outrebounding their opponents 42-31, was swiftly given away with careless and often inexplicable turnovers, as they wasted 24 possessions.

Bottom Line: Great Britain managed to come back into the game despite holding an 82-74 deficit with just 40 seconds remaining in regulation. If it wasn't for the clutch shot in overtime, the story of the game would have been one of a Greek tragedy.

They Said: "We know from the beginning that Great Britain is a very tough team. We are a new team as far as personnel goes and we only had three days to work and this was the hardest part to deal with. The way the game went, we could have won in regulation, but we made some unacceptable turnovers. In the end we made some big shots, left our heart on the floor and got the result that we wanted." - Greece national team guard Giannoulis Larentzakis.

"I'm extremely disappointed. I think we threw the game away. But at the same time, I'm proud of the guys for how they fought to get back in the game. It was a miracle comeback. It was a one-out-of-a-hundred type of comeback, especially against a team of that level." - Great Britain head coach Tony Garbelotto.

FIBA