Greek hoopsters enter Eurobasket with win over FYROM
Greece had a positive – though not spectacular – start to the 2015 Eurobasket in Croatia beating the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 85-65 in Zagreb.
FYROM proved a very good test for the Greeks who aspire to earn a medal at the end of the tournament. Its good long-range shooting troubled the Greek defense, but that was not enough to stop the players of Fotis Katsikaris from avenging the defeat Greece had suffered to FYROM four years ago.
It was not before the end of the third period that Greece started producing a convincing performance, turning a slender 55-50 lead to an imposing advantage of over 20 points (79-57) toward the end of the last period of the game.
Both Greece forwards Yiannis Bourousis and Costas Koufos enjoyed a double-double, as Bourousis recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Greek frontline despite coming from the bench, while Koufos had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Giorgos Printezis was the top scorer with 18 points.
On Sunday Greece plays pool host Croatia. The winner of that encounter will likely top the group.
