Wins for both PAO and Aris
European champions Panathinaikos began the new Euroleague season with a close 86-83 win over visiting Lottomatica Roma in a Group C game after overcoming a subdued start and surviving a tight finale. At home, Thessaloniki team Aris defeated Spain’s Unicaja 87-83. Olympiakos, Greece’s other Euroleague contestant, begins its quest tonight at home against Tau Ceramica. The pair met in the quarterfinal playoffs last season with Tau beating Olympiakos 2-1 to advance to the Final Four. The Piraeus team’s squad, featuring 11 new faces, is still working to find its rhythm, said coach Pini Gershon, who will be without Panos Vassilopoulos, injured, and the overweight Sofoklis Schortsianitis, still battling to shed kilos.
