Greece trounces Slovenia to get within one step from the Olympics
An impressive Greece dismissed the challenge of Slovenia on Saturday in the semifinal of the Olympic Qualification Tournament taking place in Piraeus this week, and advanced to the Sunday’s final that offers a ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
In front of a vibrant crowd at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Neo Faliro, Greece defeated Luka Doncic’s Slovenia 96-68 in the most convincing of fashions, rising to the challenge of this important game that has brought it to the verge of returning to the Olympics.
Led by a breathtaking Giannis Antetokounmpo, the players of coach Vassilis Spanoulis scored 32 points in the first quarter and had Slovenia pegged down for the rest of the game, offering some moments of basketball brilliance too.
The Greeks were completely dominant, with 41% in triples and 66% in two-pointers, as well as leading rebounds 32 to 23.
Thomas Walkup scored 19 points, Vassilis Toliopoulos added 17 and Giannis made 13 in under 21 minutes on the floor.
Greece will now face on Sunday the winner of the other semifinal, between Croatia and the Dominican Republic, taking place later on Saturday.
