Panathinaikos holds onto key 66-69 win in Izmir

Panathinaikos Athens never trailed but nonetheless needed a big last-minute shot to pull out a dramatic 66-69 road win over Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir on Friday. The victory lifted the Greens' record to 3-4, good for a share of the third place in Group C with Zalgiris Kaunas. Of equal importance, Panathinaikos has now swept its two games with Karsiyaka, its nearest pursuer at 2-5 in fifth place. Panathinaikos needed little time to build a double-digit lead after tipoff, and as defenses dominated in the first three quarters, Karsiyaka never came closer than 6 points in the game's first 33 minutes. But that's when Can Altintig and Muhammed Baygul rallied Karsiyaka, which tied the game 66-66 in the next-to-last minute. However, Nick Calathes hit a game-winning three-pointer and James Gist came up with a clutch block with 20 seconds to go as the Greens secured their first road victory of the regular season. James Feldeine netted 17 points and pulled down 7 rebounds to pace Panathinaikos. Gist collected 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, Miroslav Raduljica scored 11, and Calathes finished with 10 points in victory. Colton Iverson led Karsiyaka with 14 points. Altintig scored 12, while Justin Carter had 11 points and 7 rebounds in the losing effort.

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