GREECE turned to a balanced attack to trump Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s one-man show, rolling to a 92-71 victory to jumpstart its Fiba World Cup campaign on Saturday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Greece vs Jordan Fiba Basketball World Cup recap
Giannoulis Larentzakis fired 19 points to lead seven teammates who scored at least seven points each as the Greeks grabbed the early lead in Group C over their victims, Team USA, and New Zealand.
Hollis-Jefferson finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in a losing cause in his debut as Jordan’s naturalized player.
Greece led most of the way, before Jordan tried to make it interesting late in the third quarter when the latter came to within three points, 61-58.
But the Greeks restored order in the payoff period, pulling away with a run capped by Larentzakis’ layup that ended up as the final score – and their biggest lead of the game.
“We opened the game not good, but we took over from there with our defense and the mindset of getting a boost we need from our hustle,” Greece coach Dimitrios Itoudis said.
Thomas Walkup set the tone for the Greeks’ blowout early as he finished with 13 points, seven assists, and two boards, while Ioannis Papapetrou added 13 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one block.
Nikos Rogkavopoulos was the other Greek player in double-digit scoring with 10 markers, capped by back-to-back baskets, highlighted by a slam dunk to give them a 17-point lead at 83-66 with a little over three minutes to go.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo provided the energy for Greece, being part of the starting unit and picking a steal 15 seconds into the game. The Milwaukee Bucks forward scattered nine points, five boards, three steals, one block, and one assist in 18 minutes.
It didn’t help Jordan’s cause that Hollis-Jefferson was in foul trouble in the first half as the former NBA forward picked up his third foul in with over three minutes left in the second quarter, forcing coach Wesam Al-Sous to take him out.
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