ATHENS (Greece) - Greece responded to the mounting pressure of a three-game losing streak in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers by surviving a valiant comeback attempt from Spain and winning in overtime thanks to a massive home crowd.
Konstantinos Mitoglou and Tyler Dorsey both poured in a career highs of 29 points in Greece's 108-106 victory with veteran captain Nick Calathes chipping in 13 points and 8 assists.
Facing the looming perspective of missing the FIBA World Cup for the first time since 2002, Greece can breathe a sigh of relief after snapping the skid - the country's longest in European Qualifiers history - for a 4-4 record in Group I with four games to go.
"It was a do-or-die game for us and we can be proud of how we responded against a great team like Spain. This was one of the best games I have been at - as a player or coach. It was a joy to watch," Greece coach Vassilis Spanoulis said. "We are calm, we are proud, but it's just a big win for us that will give us a big, big push for the next game."
Spain continue a generational transition and suddenly have to question their own status as they dropped to 5-3 with three consecutive defeats of their own. Joel Parra led the way with 18 points, Mario Saint-Supery had 16 points and Aday Mara picked up 15 points and 13 rebounds in the loss. Spain's starting five was limited to just 25 points.
"Today is a day to be sad because we lost and we never want to lose; but when we go to bed tonight we can be proud of this fight," said Spain coach Chus Mateo.
Greece fans came out in droves to support the team in its fight for the World Cup as 17,677 spectactors packed the Telekom Center Athens, the third-highest attendance in European Qualifiers history.
Highest attendances in European Qualifiers
Game | Attendance | Location | Date |
GRE vs BEL | 19,443 | Athens | August 28, 2022 |
SRB vs GRE | 19,150 | Belgrade | August 25, 2022 |
GRE vs ESP | 17,677 | Athens | August 31, 2026 |
FRA vs SLO | 15,831 | Paris | August 27, 2026 |
TUR vs SRB | 15,556 | Istanbul | August 28, 2022 |
GER vs NED | 15,309 | Cologne | August 27, 2026 |
Neither team could take control in the second and third quarters though Greece started to pull away and were up 67-58 after 30 minutes. The cushion grew to 12 points three minutes into the final frame but Spain would not die, making it a one-point game 84-83 with 60 seconds to go.
Dorsey's two foul shots made it a three-point game but Juancho Hernangomez sent the game to overtime with a wide open three-pointer with 6.6 seconds to play.
Greece took advantage of an unsportsmanlike foul in the extra session with two free throws and an inside score by Mitoglou for a five-point gap. Parra missed a chance to tie the game with 13 seconds left in overtime as he could only split two free throws.
"It's not easy to go into overtime in a game like this and win. It's very, very difficult because you don't know how it is. You need a lot of courage and a big heart to win a game like this," added Spanoulis.
Greece have now claimed back to back wins over Spain after beating the Spanish in the group stage of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025, knocking the then reigning champs out of the competition. That was the Greeks' first victory over Spain since 2013 - and now it's two in a row, breathing new life into their qualifying campaign
Greece will host Georgia and travel to Spain in the next window in November 2026 while Spain's other game in the next window will be at Montenegro.
FIBA