Late scare from German underdog
Defending champion Panathinaikos held off a challenge from German basketball team Brose Baskets Bamberg late Wednesday night to win its second of as many matches in the Euroleague’s Group C. Playing at home, the Athens club maintained control despite a late rush from the visitors for a 66-61 win. Panathinaikos, top in the group ahead of Partizan Igokea on point difference, led throughout the game and took an 11-point lead in the final quarter, but the German team rebounded to reduce it to just one point in the final minute of play. «Once again, what matters the most is the fact that we won the game,» said Panathinaikos forward Dimos Dikoudis. «There is no doubt that we can and should improve our performance but it’s still too early… Things will get better. Our goal is to finish on top of the group,» he continued. Sarunas Jasikevicius led the scoring for Panathinaikos with 11 points, while Dikoudis and Dimitris Diamantidis added eight points apiece. The Germans felt they could have caused an upset against the reigning European champions. «I’m disappointed that we didn’t win the game, but I’m happy about our performance,» said Bamberg coach Dirk Bauermann. Greece’s two other Euroleague representatives, Aris and Olympiakos, were to play their second round games last night. Aris, on a 1-0 record in Group B, was due to play at Le Mans, looking for its first win. Olympiakos, also triumphant in the opening round, was scheduled to meet Union Olimpija away in Group A.
