Peristeri Come Back From 15 Down to Beat Varese 85-82

By Taki Panos

At halftime in Varese, Peristeri looked like a team that had left its legs on the plane. Twenty minutes later, the visitors were the ones celebrating. On Tuesday night Peristeri Betsson came back from 15 points down to beat Itelyum Varese 85-82 at the Itelyum Arena in the second round of the Basketball Champions League, as SDNA reported, moving to 2-0 in Group D. Varese drop to 0-2. A comeback on the road, in Italy, in October. I will take that.

For anyone new to the club, Peristeri is the team from the western suburbs of Athens, the city most visitors only know through the Acropolis and the old town. In Europe the club plays in the FIBA-run Champions League rather than the EuroLeague, and this start is a good one. The Champions League's own recap notes the win made it four from four this season, unbeaten in Europe and in the Greek league. That run includes a 93-87 opening win over Bamberg and a 91-89 overtime win over Iraklis on Saturday.

The first half belonged to Varese. The first quarter was tight at 27-26 for the hosts, then Varese won the second quarter 25-11 and went into the break up 52-37, per the club's official report. Peristeri shot 5 of 21 from three before the break and lost the rebounding battle 22-13. Hunter Hale, who knows Greek basketball well from his time with AEK and Promitheas, did most of the damage early. Fifteen down, on the road, cold from deep. Not ideal.

Then the third quarter happened. Peristeri opened the second half with an 11-0 run that cut the gap to 52-48, as Vradini reported, and kept squeezing. A Titan Anderson basket gave the Greek side its first lead of the second half at 62-60, and the quarter finished 27-12 for the visitors, leaving it all square at 64-64 going into the last ten minutes. In one quarter, the whole night flipped.

The fourth quarter was a proper fight, with the lead changing hands and every possession mattering. Peristeri led 78-73 with three and a half minutes left, but Varese went back in front at 79-78 with under two minutes to play, according to Basketball Sphere. Will Carius answered with a three-pointer to put Peristeri ahead, Ty Nichols made his free throws for 83-79 with about 50 seconds left, and Varese could not find the shots it needed after that.

Carius was the man of the night with 18 points in about 22 minutes, shooting 4 of 6 from three and adding four steals, per the box score. Noah Friedel scored 13 with three threes, and Nichols put up a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists. Center Omar Payne chipped in 10 points and five blocks, and Anderson added nine with five rebounds. That is a lot of hands in the pot, which is usually a good sign this early in a season.

For Varese, Hale finished with 20 points, while David Duke Jr. had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, per Fosonline. There was a Greek connection on the other bench too, because Varese are coached by Ioannis Kastritis. The night was also a big one for the Italian club, its first home game in the competition in ten years, with Luis Scola watching from the stands, as the Champions League noted. Peristeri spoiled the party.

The numbers explain the turnaround better than any slogan. Peristeri finished 14 of 34 from three, which means 9 of 13 after halftime, and forced turnovers all night, ending with 16 steals and six blocks, according to Fosonline's box score. The odd part is that they won despite going only 11 of 22 from the free-throw line, while Varese made 21 of 26. Missing half your free throws and still winning on the road takes some doing.

Coach Vasilis Xanthopoulos was clear about where the game turned. "It is a big win for us, against an opponent whose coach and staff I have great respect for. They have a lot of talent, and we got a great win here in Italy," he said, via the club (translated from Greek). He added that "the toughness we showed in the second half was much better than in the first half" and that the team "is built on defense," which is where it gets its confidence on offense. He also thanked the fans who travelled to the Itelyum Arena.

It was a big Tuesday for Greek basketball in general. Across the continent, Olympiacos produced a comeback of their own, erasing a 28-point deficit to beat Valencia 102-97 in overtime in the EuroLeague. Before this game, Peristeri had lost their last four road games in the Champions League, according to the competition's own preview, so this one also broke a small but annoying habit.

My take: I like this Peristeri team more every week, but I would not get carried away just yet. Two of their four wins have come by two and three points, and the Bamberg game nearly slipped away after a 22-point lead. The good news is that they keep finding answers late, and they have more than one player who can find them. The defense in the second half was the real story, and defense tends to travel. If they can play like that for 40 minutes instead of 20, this group can go a long way in Group D.

Next up is a much bigger test back in Greece: a trip to Panathinaikos on Sunday, October 18, in the Greek Basket League. That is the same side that stayed perfect with a win in Belgrade on Tuesday. To follow that one and the rest of the season, keep an eye on our Greek Sports section. Four games, four wins. Not bad at all.

Sources: SDNA, Peristeri BC, Basketball Champions League, Basketball Sphere, Vradini, Fosonline.

Image: Flag of Greece, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).