Avdija, Sorkin and Israel beat Greece

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

Thanks to a strong second-half output, Israel defeated a shorthanded Greek team 75 – 58 in the final game of the ECOMMBX Cup tournament that is held in Cyprus.

Israel completed the tournament with two victories, over Greece and Cyprus in the opener. Greece went 0/2 after falling also to Serbia.

Roman Sorkin had 16 points and seven rebounds while Deni Avdija added 16 points plus six boards (but also eight turnovers) for Israel. After trailing 43 – 39 early in the second half, their team shut down Greece 49 – 56 in the rest of the third quarter and then proceeded to establish a double-digit advantage that flirted with a 20-point margin.

Tyler Dorsey (14 points) and Panagiotis Kalaitzakis (12 points) were the leadin scorers from Greece. Apart from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kostas Sloukas, Kostas Papanikolaou and Dinos Mitoglou were sidelined while Giannoulis Larentzakis was forced to exit the game in the first half with back tightness.

Greece coach Vassilis Spanoulis didn’t appreciate some lack of effort he saw in the second half. “We were dull, nerveless, without passion and energy. What the guys must understand is that nothing is given in life and sports. They must be more ready to grab their opportunities,” he said.