Martinez Leads Panathlitikos to First European Win, 79-63 Over Brod na Savi

By Taki Panos

Panathlitikos wrote a small piece of history on Thursday night in Thessaloniki. The club from Sykies beat Brod na Savi of Croatia 79-63 in Group E of the EuroCup Women, and it was the first European win the club has ever recorded, per Gazzetta and the Hellenic Basketball Federation. After two defeats to open the group, Giorgos Veltsistas and his players finally had something to celebrate.

The game was played at the Eptapyrgio Arena in front of a small crowd, with FIBA listing the attendance at 150. Those who came saw a home side that grew into the game, survived a sticky first quarter and then pulled away steadily over the middle twenty minutes, per Novasports and the official FIBA game page.

It started in the best possible way. Panathlitikos raced out to an 8-0 lead and forced Brod coach Rimarchuk into an early timeout, per Gazzetta. The visitors responded well, though. They chipped away, took a 14-11 lead around the eighth minute and the first quarter ended level at 15-15.

The second quarter is where the night turned. Panathlitikos outscored Brod 24-14 in those ten minutes, moving the ball better and getting stops at the other end, and went into the break ahead 39-29, per Sport FM and Gazzetta. It was the first time the home side had real control of the game, and they did not let it go.

The third quarter was even more convincing. Panathlitikos won it 20-13 and led 59-42 heading into the final ten minutes, per the FIBA box score. A seventeen-point cushion should be safe at this level, and for the most part it was, even if the visitors had one last push left in them.

That push came late. Brod won the fourth quarter 21-20 and cut the gap to 70-61 with around two minutes to play, per Gazzetta, which was enough to make a few people in the stands nervous. Panathlitikos kept their heads, though, and closed the game out with a 9-2 finish for the final 79-63.

Esmery Martinez led the way with 18 points, per the Hellenic Basketball Federation and Novasports. Amanda Zahui added 16 points and was a force on the boards, with Sportnet crediting her with 14 rebounds. Natalia Martiskova also scored 16, which gave Panathlitikos three players in double figures and a balanced attack that Brod never really solved.

The supporting cast chipped in where it mattered. Mistinova scored 12, Syrra added 8, Prapa had 6 and Pantoti finished with 3, per the federation's game report. It was good to see Greek names on the scoresheet in a European game, since this is exactly the kind of experience that helps local players grow.

For Brod na Savi, Zaay Green scored 16 points before fouling out, per Gazzetta, which left the Croatian side with only six players available for the closing stretch. Laila Phelia had 15, while Anamaria Virjoghe and Ana Vojtulek scored 13 each, per the FIBA box score. Klara Rimarčuk filled the stat sheet with 6 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, per Sportnet.

In the standings, the win moves Panathlitikos to 1-2 in Group E, while Brod na Savi drop to 0-3 and sit at the bottom of the group, per Gazzetta. Spanish side CB Jairis are also in the group and had beaten Brod 79-44 earlier in the competition. Third place may still bring a route into the next phase, per Gazzetta, and that is now a realistic target for the Thessaloniki side.

It has been a good EuroCup Women autumn for Greek clubs overall. Olympiacos opened their campaign with a big win over Baxi Ferrol, which we covered in Olympiacos women beat Baxi Ferrol 96-68, and Panathinaikos started with a win of their own, as you can read in Panathinaikos women beat Alba Berlin 81-73. Now Panathlitikos have joined the party, and that is good news for the women's game in Greece.

My take: This was a night to enjoy for a club that does not have the budget or the history of the big Athens names. Losing the first two group games could easily have knocked the confidence out of this team, but they responded with a calm, grown-up performance. The second and third quarters were as good as anything this team has shown in Europe, and if Martinez and Zahui keep producing like this, third place in Group E is very much within reach.

Panathlitikos are back at home in Thessaloniki on Wednesday, November 4, at 20:15 Athens time for their next group game, per the Hellenic Basketball Federation, and a second straight home win would put them right in the race for third. For more results and stories, keep an eye on our Greek Sports section. Bravo, Panathlitikos, and here's to many more European nights in Thessaloniki.

Sources: Gazzetta, Hellenic Basketball Federation, Novasports, Sport FM, FIBA, Sportnet.

Image: Heptapyrgion of Thessaloniki by Damian Pankowiec, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).