Greece defeated New Zealand 83-74 and secured the second ticket from group C to the next stage
Greece reacted in the middle of the third quarter to get the victory against New Zealand by 83 to 74. In this way, the European team is located in the second position of group C behind the United States and continues on the way to in the title.
Heads-up for qualification to the second round, New Zealand were better throughout the first half. Although, in the average of the second quarter, the Oceanician got a 15 point advantage over their rivals. However, Greece began to pull away before halftime, leaving the score at 32-43.
After the break, the men led by Itoudis continued to rise and, thanks to Papapetrou and Papanikolaou, only one point was left. The last quarter was great for Greece, and they won by 12 points. Despite New Zealand getting within 4 late in the match, they paid dearly for their mistakes and ended up falling 83-74.
The most outstanding player in the winning team was Ioannis Papapetrou, who converted 27 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Giannoulis Larentzakis followed him in scoring with 20 points. Papagiannis, with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists and Papanikolaou, who added 8 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists were other good performances.
In New Zealand, the scoring focused on Shea Ili, who converted 27 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and distributed 8 assists, and Reuben Te Rangi, who had 19 points. Finn Delany reached a double-double, adding 10 points and 14 rebounds, as well as 4 assists.
The continuation of the teams
Greece will take part in Group J with the United States, Lithuania and Montenegro. Your commitments are as follows:
Friday 9/1 | 9:40 am Lithuania vs. Greece
Sunday 9/3 | 5:40 am Greece vs. Montenegro.
New Zealand will be part of group N and will play with Egypt, Jordan and Mexico for positions 17 to 32. Here is their schedule:
Thursday 8/31 | 5:45 am New Zealand vs. Mexico
Saturday 9/2 | 5:45 New Zealand vs. Egypt.
Photos: FIBA.
Source: Tycsports
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