The men’s basketball team beat Great Britain 77-93 to record their third win in three group games. EuroBasket. Kostas Sloukas performed well for Greece, while Papayannis, who is slowly recovering from injury and has shown he is ready to help, got a lot of playing time.

The team went to the match without them John and Costa Antetokoumbo. Superstar and team leader Dimitris Itoudis he rested in view of the continuation of the event.

Greece got energized from their defense early in the game and took a 3-8 lead thanks to a surprise shot from Thanasis Antetokounmpo. The British found a way to get on the run and made 4/5 3s to make it 15-8 with five minutes left in the first period. The Blue-and-Whites got stuck and overtook 15-19 with consecutive points from Luncis and Slukash. Greece’s streak continued and reached 17-24 by the end of the first period.

Dimitris Itoudis’s team advanced strongly into the second quarter and took a 17-29 lead with Papanicolaou’s accurate 3-pointer. The Briton went down (22-29) with Nelson and Whittle, but Luntzis made the difference ten points with another three-pointer. Characteristically, the home team took advantage of the failure of the national team and reduced the score to 35-39 three-pointer Mockford.

Agravanis gave Greece a five-point air with a precise three-pointer, and Soko reduced it to 41-44 in the last minute of the second period. Calathes with a layup and Whittle made it 43-46 at halftime.

Thanks to a two-pointer by Kalatis and an accurate three-pointer by Dorsey, Greece took a 43–51 lead early in the third period. The British were reduced to a point (50-51) with Sokos and Hesson while Greece fled (54-63) with Sloukas, Papagiannis and Papapetrou.

The difference reached double digits (56-67) with Papagianni and Papanicolaou stealing and nailing the surprise. Clarke’s two good shots gave Great Britain a chance to close the gap, but Larentsakis put in a basket after a great combination to win the foul 58-71 in the final minute of the third period. Nelson made the third quarter 60-71.

A layup by Sloukas saw Greece take a 62–75 lead at the start of the fourth period. Dimitris Itoudis’ team reached 64-81 with two consecutive bounces by Papajannis with about six minutes remaining. The difference reached 20 points (68-88) with about three minutes left, and the team won a landslide victory in the final.

The next rival of the men’s team is Ukraine.

Quarters: 17-24, 43-46, 60-71, 77-93

United Kingdom (Nathan Reinking): Bigby-Williams 2, Clark 11 (1), Hesson 13, Lautier-Oganlegue, Mockford 3 (1), Nelson 17 (4), Olaseni 8, Soko 12, Van Ostrom, Whittle 9 (1), Whelan 2.

Greece (Dimitris Itoudis): Agravanis 5 (1), Thanasis Antetokounbo 5 (1), Kalatis 9 (1), Dorsi 5 (1), Larentsakis 7 (1), Luntsis 10 (2), Papagiannis 17, Papanikolaou 10 (1), Papapetrou 4, Sloukas 21(5).