Panathinaikos stuns archrival
League front-runner Panathinaikos made a late surge to stun host Olympiakos 74-73 in an A1-league basketball match last night. The home side, backed by 12,000 fans in the stands, led 72-66 with 44 seconds remaining, but it was not enough to stop Panathinaikos, the dominant force in Greek basketball over the past decade and a three-time European champion – with all titles coming during this period. But the game was marred by violence when a group of Olympiakos fans attacked the Peace and Friendship Stadium’s press booths right after the match. Several journalists sustained light injuries. Panathinaikos played exemplary defense to dominate early in the game for a 22-12 lead after 10 minutes. The visitor maintained control throughout the second quarter but Olympiakos managed to recover and establish a 51-44 lead after a dynamic 20-5 run. Olympiakos was up 53-48 at the end of the third quarter. With two minutes remaining, Panathinaikos held a 66-65 lead, but Olympiakos rallied for what seemed an adequate 72-66 lead with less than a minute to go.
