LIMASSOL (Cyprus) - Greece entered Group C as favorites and they justified that status once again with a 94-53 victory over Georgia to remain perfect thanks to the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Despite having three wins in three games, Greece must wait until the day's later games to see if they already have booked a ticket for the Round of 16.
Hellas would advance to Riga if Cyprus beat Spain or Italy knock off Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Turning Point
Georgia were playing at Greece's level for the first 13 minutes when Greece won on a 12-2 spurt to open a 36-22 advantage - with Dinos Mitoglou scoring eight of those points. The cushion grew to 17 points at halftime and Greece never really let Georgia back into the game, which drew a crowd of 7,290 fans.
TCL Player of the Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo rested during the second game of the tournament against Cyprus and was his usual dominant self in his return with 27 points. The NBA superstar also grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 4 assists and swiped 2 steals.
Dinos Mitoglou helped out with 17 points including a trio of three-pointers for the winners while Alexander Mamukelashvil tallied 14 points in the loss.
Stats Don't Lie
Greece were lighting it up from the outside, hitting 14 of 25 three-pointers for 56 percent as they dished out 28 assists. They also limited Georgia to just 30 percent shooting including 4 of 22 (18 percent) from long range.
Bottom Line
Greece have taken care of business with three wins in three games and will looking to make it a perfect 4-0 on Tuesday when they take on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Georgia meanwhile face off against hosts Cyprus as they aim for a 2-2 record. Georgia head coach Aleksandar Dzikic rested NBA big man Goga Bitadze while Toko Shengelia only played 4 minutes and Kamar Baldwin was on the court for 17 minutes.
They Said
"I think we took another step forward today. We shared the ball with 28 assists and we could have had more. We are on the right path but we are just taking one game at a time. We have to improve during the tournament. We still have room to improve. We have things that I still want to improve." - Vassilis Spanoullis, Greece
"It was a great game for us, sharing the ball. Big was our rebounding because we were able to get into - our transition. And that made our offense easier to move the ball and make the right play." - Tyler Dorsey, Greece
"What made the game so easy is very easy: the defense. We had a lot of concentration from the team. We were very serious throughout." - Alexandros Samodurov, Greece
"After the game against Italy (a loss) we had two options: go 100 percent today or to try to keep ourselves healthy for the last two games. We decided to follow the second scenario. It's as simple as that. It was my decision. We know what our goal. Was it ugly? Yes it was. I don't like it, my players don'T like it. It's opposite of who we are - meaning we are fighters no matter what. But today was not the smartest thing to fight for our best." - Aleksandar Dzikic, Georgia
"They are a tough opponent. They play really amazing - all of them. Giannis is unstoppable and it's not easy to guard him. We tried to triple team him, but what can you do. This is basketball. We lost but we still have a good chance to win the next two games and pass the group. That is our goal." - Giorgi Shermadini, Georgia
"You guys saw the score. It was not an easy game for sure. But it was expected because we have some injuries. We have two Finals and we are following our plan. Everything is good. We are following what we scheduled before. I feel like we are in a good situation right now." - Duda Sanadze, Georgia
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA