Panathinaikos BC AKTOR defeated Olympiacos 79-68 in the final of the Allwyn Final 8, capturing the 22nd Cup title in our club’s history! Nigel Hayes-Davis was the Greens’ top scorer with 15 points.

The Greens started the final better, taking a 7-4 lead in the 4th minute. Panathinaikos BC AKTOR extended the margin to +6 (12-6) a minute later, before Olympiacos tied the game at 17-17 in the 9th minute, which was also the score at the end of the first quarter.

Panathinaikos BC AKTOR went up 21-17 in the 11th minute, stretching the lead to +9 (28-19) in the 13th and reaching a double-digit advantage (33-19) a minute later. The Greens remained in control, leading 40-25 in the 17th minute and building a +17 advantage (45-28) for the first time in the 19th. The first half ended 45-29 in favor of the Greens.

Panathinaikos BC AKTOR kept their foot on the gas, leading 51-35 in the 23rd minute and reaching a commanding +19 (59-41) in the 26th. Olympiacos cut the deficit to 59-46 a minute later, but the Greens responded by extending the lead to +18 (64-46) in the 28th. The third quarter ended 69-51.

The Reds reduced the gap to 69-56 in the 32nd minute, but Panathinaikos BC AKTOR answered again to make it 75-56 in the 34th. Olympiacos closed in at 75-63 in the 36th minute, yet once more the Greens pulled away to +16 (79-63) a minute later. Panathinaikos BC AKTOR sealed the victory with the final 79-68, triumphantly winning the 22nd Cup in club history.

Quarters: 17-17, 29-45, 51-69, 68-79.

Olympiacos (Bartzokas): Walkup 11 (1), Ward 5 (1), Larentzakis, Morris, Vezenkov 16, Papanikolaou 3 (1), Netzipoglou, Dorsey 4 (1), Milutinov 5, Hall, Jones 12, Fournier 12 (2).

Panathinaikos BC AKTOR (Ataman): Kalaitzakis, Osman 7 (2), Holmes 8, Sloukas 3 (1), Hayes-Davis 15 (1), Rogkavopoulos 14 (3), Samodurov, Grant 11, Nunn 7, Toliopoulos, Hernangomez 3 (1), Mitoglou 11 (1).

Ataman: “Great game, congratulations to my team”

The head coach of Panathinaikos BC AKTOR Ergin Ataman, stated at the Press Conference following the cup final against Olympiacos: “I see that there are only seven or eight journalists here. If we had lost, there would have been more of you asking me the same questions you’ve been asking all season. We played a great game tonight — congratulations to my team. We played smart basketball, inside and outside, built our confidence, and everyone gave 100%. We controlled the entire game and deserved to win it. Many journalists from Athens are here; I said that if we had lost, they would all be in this room. I don’t think I need to say much about Hayes-Davis. We achieved a small goal — our big goals are the EuroLeague and the championship.”

From his side, the MVP of the final Nigel Hayes-Davis stated: “Congratulations to the team for the effort in this tough game. Thanks to our fans for supporting us. On game days, I’ve been doing the same thing for the last four or five years. I take a nap after shootaround, arrive at the arena three hours early, and do my job. I try to find my rhythm and I hope the fans appreciate my effort. It’s always nice to play for trophies in Europe. As for the MVP award, we said yesterday that nobody cares about the award — we all just wanted to win. I thank my teammates, the staff, and the president who brought me here. I thank everyone at Panathinaikos.”