PATRAS (Greece) - Coach Thanasis Skourtopoulos opted for an experienced lineup for the game against Bulgaria, with no players younger than 25. It paid dividends as they kept their calm in the closing seconds, picking up a 73-63 win to start their FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers run.

Bulgaria had the better start to the game, and refused to go away when Greece carried the lead into the fourth quarter. But, turnovers proved costly, and Bulgaria are moving towards their duel with Latvia with an 0-1 record. Greece's nerves are settled with a win;  they travel to Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina for their second game in February.

Turning Point: Dee Bost and Dimitar Dimitrov got Bulgaria all the way back to a 64-62 deficit with just over three minutes to play. The green team then had multiple possessions to tie or take the lead, but fell short, and a turnover by Hristo Zahariev at 66-62 with just under two minutes to play ended their hopes of an upset.

Linos Chrysikopoulos, Lefteris Bochoridis and Dimitrios Katsivelis made sure Greece finished the game on a 9-2 run to keep the crowd in Patras happy.

Game Hero: Being a left handed guard and wearing a Greek shirt with the number 13 on the back would mean pressure for a lot of players, but Lefteris Bochoridis enjoyed the role. He finished with 19 points on 3-of-4 shooting from deep, dished out 5 assists, with 3 rebounds, 2 steals and a block to fill up the stats.

Stats Don't Lie: Bulgaria committed just 11 turnovers, compared to 15 of Greece, but the hosts held a 17-12 edge in points from turnovers, making the guests pay for every time they were sloppy on offense. Also, shooting 6-of-12 from the free throw line will not get you a win on the road, especially not against a team like Greece.

Bottom Line: Dimitrios Agravanis and Lefteris Bochoridis are the only two 25-year-olds in this Greek outfit. All other players are older and more experienced, which could be crucial in their path to the Final Round. If they pick up another win in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that could potentially open up room for more youngsters over the next two windows.

As for Bulgaria, the pressure will be on them in Botevgrad against Latvia. That's where their crowd support needs to come into play, to help them protect their home floor.

FIBA