Panathinaikos BC AKTOR secured a 78-79 away victory against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne for Round 25 of the EuroLeague regular season. Kostas Sloukas led the Greens as the top scorer with 26 points.

The hosts started strong, taking a double-digit lead (14-3) by the 4th minute. However, the Greens responded, cutting the deficit to 14-12 by the 7th minute. The first quarter ended with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne leading 17-15, but by the 12th minute, the “Greens” equalized at 17-17 and took a 19-17 lead shortly after. By the 16th minute, Panathinaikos BC AKTOR led 24-22, before the French side regained the lead (25-24) a minute later.

By the 18th minute, the Greens moved ahead 30-25 and closed the first half leading 35-29. The lead extended to +9 (29-38) at the start of the third quarter (21′), but LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne narrowed it to 38-33 by the 23rd minute. At the 25′ mark, Panathinaikos BC AKTOR pulled away 44-33, though the hosts quickly closed in at 44-38. The lead returned to double digits by the 29th minute (42-52), with the third quarter ending 55-46. ASVEL reduced the gap to 55-49 (32′) and 59-54 (33′), but Panathinaikos BC AKTOR surged again to lead 66-54 (34′) and 69-54 (36′).

Holmes and Sloukas helped push the score to 62-73, but Villeurbanne found 6 consecutive points to make it 68-73 with 50″ remaining. Mitoglou and Vautier exchanged baskets for 70-75, while Sloukas, with 2/2 free throws, made it 70-77 with 19.7″ left. Selyas hit a three-pointer for 73-77. Shorts committed a turnover, allowing Heurtel to score for 75-77. Sloukas was fouled by Ndiaye and converted another set of free throws for 75-79, before Angola scored a buzzer-beating three-pointer to set the final score at 78-79.

Quarter scores: 17-15, 29-35, 46-55, 78-79.

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (Poupet): Eboua 6 (1), Selyas 9 (3), Harrison, Angola 20 (3), Heurtel 8 (1), Ajinca 14 (3), Mase 2, Lighty, Ndiaye 5 (1), Watson, Vautier 14, Traore.

Panathinaikos BC AKTOR (Ataman): Shorts 2, Kalaitzakis, Osman 4, Holmes 11, Sloukas 26 (4), Rogkavopoulos 5 (1), Grant 15 (3), Toliopoulos, Faried 2, Hernangomez 6, Mitoglou 8.

More than 500 Panathinaikos fans were scattered throughout the arena, chanting Kostas Sloukas’ name rhythmically after his key three-pointer.

Panathinaikos AKTOR head coach Ergin Ataman stated during the post-game press conference: “I believe that, except for the first five minutes of the game, we played aggressive defense. In the last 2 minutes, ASVEL hit some crazy shots in the final seconds of their possessions, and we made some embarrassing mistakes. Overall, we played a good game. We played smart. Sloukas had an exceptional game. Jerian Grant played many minutes but had a perfect match. We missed several free throws, and ASVEL fought throughout the entire game.

Furthermore, I would like to congratulate two players. One is from my team and the other from ASVEL. Both are 35-36 years old. I am talking about Kostas Sloukas and Thomas Heurtel, who showed that basketball is not about age, but about experience and intelligence. Both played an amazing game. My style of basketball has always been about smart play with smart guards, who are the key pillars of the team. That’s why I want to congratulate these two players.

Kostas is a winner and he knows that without Nunn, we have problems on offense, so he brought out his winning character on the court. He was in a good rhythm tonight and feels well. We’ve had many games like this with Sloukas over these three years. It’s important that he is in good physical shape and that he always brings that winning mentality to the floor.

Forgive me, but it’s not my job to judge a coach. I respect Poupet as a young coach. ASVEL fights in every match, especially at home. The team’s budget is quite low. Poupet is trying to do his job as best as he can as a young coach, and I hope he continues at this level. He has the potential to continue in the EuroLeague.”