Promitheas beats Bursaspor, 83-80 in OT, for first win

In a thriller that went to overtime, Promitheas Patras recorded its first win in Group B by rallying to down Frutti Extra Bursaspor 83-80 at home on Wednesday. Promitheas improved to 1-3 in the standings while Bursaspor dropped to 2-2. Jerai Grant led the winners with 18 points. Charis Giannopoulos, Kendrick Ray and Nikolaos Rokgavopoulos each added 14 while Dario Hunt had 10 for Promitheas. Allerik Freeman led Bursaspor with 20 points. Derek Needham added 19 while David Dudzinski got 11 points and 16 rebounds for the guests. Freeman had 7 first-quarter points as Bursaspor took a 12-19 lead. Dudzinski and Egemen Guven stepped up for the guests as they went up 30-40 at halftime. The hosts found a go-to guy in Hunt, who got plenty of help from Ray and Dimitris Agravanis to bring Promitheas within 51-53 after 30 minutes. Giannopoulos had 9 points early in the fourth quarter to put Promitheas ahead, 60-57. Bursaspor bounced back and Metin Turen dunked to force overtime, 68-68. Grant and Ray made the difference down the stretch.

Andrew Andrews got Bursaspor going with a floater and Freeman struck from downtown but Rogkavopoulos and Grant soon gave Promitheas its first lead, 7-5. The same duo scored around the basket but Freeman and Anthony Brown kept Bursaspor ahead, 11-12. Kevarrius Hayes dunked and Brown added a three-point play, getting help from an unstoppable Freeman to boost the guests' margin to 12-19 after 10 minutes.

Hunt stepped up for Promitheas early in the second quarter but Dudzinski hit a jump-hook and Needham struck from beyond the arc at 14-24. Giannopoulos answered with a backdoor layup and Isaiah Miles with a triple to get Promitheas within 19-26. Guven and Dudzinski scored for Bursaspor in a 0-7 run that restored a 19-33 advantage. Grant and Ray tried to change things for the hosts and Agravanis hit a running hook at 28-35. Dudzinski's reverse layup followed by Metin Turen's three-pointer meant a 30-40 Bursaspor lead at halftime.

Freeman downed his second triple soon after the break and got help from Guven to give Bursaspor a 30-45 margin. Rogkavopoulos answered from deep and Grant added an off-balance jump-hook but Dudzinski's triple kept the guests way ahead, 35-49. Grant scored again, then Ray, Utku Omer and Rogkavopoulos each downed a three-pointer for a 44-53 score. Hunt followed a dunk with a layup and Agravanis buried a three-pointer that brought Promitheas back to life, 51-53, after 30 minutes.

Abdul Gaddy kept Promitheas going with a jumper early in the fourth quarter but Brown gave Bursaspor fresh air at 53-57. Giannopoulos came on with an off-balance three-point play that he improved to a four-point triple-plus-free throw that completed Promitheas's comeback at 60-57 with over 6 minutes left. Giannopoulos kept pacing the hosts with a layup and a bomb from beyond the arc at 65-59. Giannopoulos fed Hunt for a three-point play but Bursasport was not done. Needham followed a layup with a triple and Freeman scored in penetration for a 68-66 score. Turen dunked to tie the game, 68-68, with 46.0 seconds remaining. Agravanis and Ray missed respective shots at the end of regulation, leading to overtime.

Grant scored first in the extra period and Agravanis soon added a layup for a 72-68 Promitheas lead. Needham and Ray traded bombs from beyond the arc, then Freeman answered with a driving layup to keep Bursaspor within 75-73. Ray hit free throws and Grant added a three-point play to boost the hosts' lead to 80-73 in the next-to-last minute. Needham hit a triple and Freeman scored off a steal but Ray and Rokgavopoulos sealed the outcome from the foul line.

Pivotal performer: Giannopoulos made the difference

Promitheas Patras trailed for almost all of the first 33 minutes in its Round 4 home game against Frutti Extra Bursaspor, which still led 53-57 with 8 minutes remaining. The hosts needed a go-to guy and found one in Chris Giannopoulos, who singlehandedly fixed the problem. He took over with an off-balance basket-plus-free throw and then converted a wild four-point play. Giannopoulos followed a layup with another triple and fed Dario Hunt for a three-point play. His efforts allowed Promitheas to get back in the game and eventually win it. He finished the game with 14 points, 4 rebounds and a PIR of 17.

Rokgavopoulos does it again

Promitheas Patras recorded its first win in the current 7DAYS EuroCup season and once again, one of its main pillars was up-and-coming small forward Nikolaos Rokgavopoulos, who continues impressing everyone in his first season in the competition. Rokgavopoulos barely missed a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. He added 2 assists, a steal and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 21. He buried 3 of 6 shots from beyond the arc, making him 12-for-21 from downtown (57.1% 3FG) this season. Rokgavopoulos, age 20, is averaging 13.0 points and 7.3 rebounds, good for a PIR average of 18.8.

Assists lead Promitheas to victory

Promitheas Patras and Frutti Extra Bursaspor needed overtime to decide the winner. When the dust settled, Promitheas had registered an 83-80 win, its first of the 7DAYS EuroCup season. Both teams hit the same number of two-pointers, 16, with similar percentages - Promitheas 36.4%, Bursaspor 41.0% - and tied on rebounds, too, 47-47. Both teams also had the same number of turnovers, 12. However, Promitheas shared the ball better and that led the Greek powerhouse to a win. Promitheas had 27 assists, its third-best mark in competition history, and Bursaspor only had 17.