LIMASSOL (Cyprus) - Greece took care of business against hosts Cyprus with a dominant 96-69 victory over the neighboring country for a perfect 2-0 record in Group C.
Greece's superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out the game, but Vassilis Spanoulis' team had more than enough weapons to give the Cypriots a second loss in two games.
Turning Point
Greece failed to really put Cyprus away in the first half and the gap was still only eight points at 48-40 early in the third quarter. Hellas finally put together a surge with an 11-2 spurt making it 59-42. The hosts could not get closer than 14 points the rest of the way.
TCL Player of the Game
Tyler Dorsey stepped up his game against the hosts with 18 points thanks to 4 three-pointers and he also picked up 1 rebound and 2 assists.
Dinos Mitoglou added 18 points while 20-year-old Alexandros Samodurov took advantage of more playing time and scored 12 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Darral Willis tallied 15 points and 8 rebounds for the hosts.
Stats Don't Lie
Greece committed only 6 turnovers in the game and shot 53 percent from the field including 45 percent from long range, knocking down 13 three-pointers. The Greeks also limited Cyprus to just 38 percent shooting for the game.
Bottom Line
Greece's campaign has gone just as expected and hoped with a 2-0 record. Hellas will look to make it 3-0 on Sunday as they take on a Georgia team that has knocked off reigning champs Spain but fell to Italy. Cyprus meanwhile have the opportunity to play four-time champions Spain for first time as they look for their first win.
They Said
"Besides the first couple minutes when we were very relaxed, we played a very good basketball game. We saw things we wanted to see." - Vassilis Spanoulis, Greece
"We took care of business. We didn't come here thinking it would be an easy game. We always have respect for our opponents, especially when we play against a team like this, who we call brothers. We played a good game and we had a chance to rest some of our main guys." - Panagiotis Kalatzakis, Greece
"We respected our opponents. We played with high intensity, mostly in the second half. We got the win and now we have to be ready for the next game against Georgia." - Dimitrios Katsivelis, Greece
"This was a very historical moment for us. We were all enthusiastic on the one hand, but we knew this game would be once in a lifetime. We tried to enjoy it but also to control our feelings and do our best on the court." - Christoforos Livadiotes, Cyprus
"I think in the first half we were very good. We played very good defense. We gave up only 41 points. I am proud of my team. I think we could have done better in the second half." - Kostas Simitzis, Cyprus
"For sure it was a great experience but we wanted to be more competitive for a longer period of time - more like 35 minutes like the first game. We kept fighting and took it possession by possession and congratulations to my team." - Filippos Tigkas, Cyprus
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA