They combined for half of Olympiacos’s points in a home win
Vezenkov, Fournier led by example again in bounce-back victory over Efes
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 24 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Last week’s home loss to Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul was a tough blow for Olympiacos Piraeus as it saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end. Back at the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Friday night, the Reds knew they needed to respond in front of their fans.
Enter Evan Fournier and Sasha Vezenkov. The two Olympiacos stars stepped up – as they have done on many times this season – and combined for half of their team’s points in a 92-89 victory over Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 24.
Fournier needed just over nine minutes to hit double digits in scoring. Having gone 4 for 4 from the field, the Olympiacos swingman finished the first quarter with 10 points as the Reds took a 29-14 lead into the second period. Fournier netted another 10 points in the second half, this being the 11th game in which he has scored at least 20 points in his debut Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
More importantly, Fournier also set the tone on defense, showing hustle and determination that led to important stops and deflections, as he ended the game with 2 steals.
“If we’re going to win, we’ve got to have strong defense,” Fournier told EuroLeague TV after the game. “It starts with the guys who start the game. As one of the leaders of the team, I have to impact the game on both ends of the floor. I try to be aggressive, be smart and follow the game plan. We have good defense when we do that.”
Fournier’s impact on both sides of the floor is as crucial as Vezenkov’s. The latter pulled off yet another player-of-the-game performance with 26 points, having gone an impressive 10 for 14 from the field.
Vezenkov also contributed big time on the other end by protecting the boards with 7 defensive rebounds, finishing the night with a total of 9.
“It was really important for us to win this game,” he said on EuroLeague TV. “We knew that Efes was coming with confidence. They have a great team. We lost the previous game, so we needed to bounce back.”
This boost in morale comes at the best time for Olympiacos, which faces an upcoming double-round week with demanding road games at Paris Basketball and FC Barcelona. Despite being a team that thrives through collective effort, the Greek side will look to lean Vezenkov and Fournier once more. But that’s what leaders are for, right?