Second-half blackout costs Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos suffered a second-half blackout and lost 58-54 at home to Real Madrid on Friday in a game that was its own to lose after the first half. This was the second loss for Panathinaikos in five games at the second group stage of the Euroleague.
In their second home game against the Spanish giants this season, the Greens played a superb first half in defense to lead by as many as 14 points. The 37-27 result at half-time meant Panathinaikos was the clear favorite to win the game in front of a near-capacity crowd of 17,000 fans.
However, in the second half fatigue got the better of the Greek side. Throughout the 20 minutes of the last two quarters Panathinaikos scored no more than just 17 points, with just five of them in the last period.
Real Madrid preserved its unbeaten record in the second round by gradually cutting the distance and eventually silencing the home crowd who could not believe what they were seeing.
The result leaves Panathinaikos in third at the group that will also have nine more games for each team.
Mike Bramos was the sole Panathinaikos player with more than 10 points, notching up 11 on the night.
