Giannis Antetokounmpo Leads Greece into EuroBasket Semifinals for First Time in 16 Years
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RIGA, Latvia — Greece advanced to the EuroBasket semifinals for the first time since 2009, defeating Lithuania 87-76 on Tuesday behind a 29-point effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward hit 9 of 15 shots and 11 of 16 free throws, adding six rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block. The victory sets up a semifinal meeting with Turkey and moves Greece within two wins of its third continental title, having previously claimed the crown in 1987 and 2005.
Greece carried a 44-38 edge into halftime at Arena Riga. Lithuania opened the third quarter with three quick points, but Greece responded with a 7-0 burst to stretch the margin to 51-41. The lead grew to 58-43 midway through the period, and Lithuania never got closer than eight the rest of the way.
Vasileios Toliopoulos drained three three-pointers on his way to 17 points, while Kostas Sloukas contributed 11 points and four assists. Head coach Vasileios Spanoulis praised his squad for “playing with a big heart in front of so many thousands of people from Lithuania in a very nice atmosphere.”
Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas paced Lithuania with 24 points and 15 rebounds. “Tonight was a battle,” Valanciunas said. “They were stronger, they were better than us. I was just happy we fought until the end, no matter what.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
