Tonight in Arena Botevgrad in its last test before the start of the official matches Balkan played with the elite Greek team Kolosos Rhodes. And lost with a significant margin - 99-71 (27-24, 19-20, 21-11, 32-16).
The Greens started relatively well, in the 5th minute they were leading with 13-10, in the 9th the score was tied - 22-22, and after the end of the first half Kolosos had a 3-point lead. Balkantsi won the second quarter with 20-19 and at halftime the guests led with a 2-point difference - 46-44. In the third and fourth periods Kolosos Rhodes dominated completely. In the 28th minute, their lead became double digits - 63-53, in the 33rd they led 75-62, and five minutes before the end, Balkan's deficit was already twenty points - 67-87. By the end of the match, the Greek team increased its lead to the final 99-71.
In the second half, Balkan was clearly lagging behind. The big difference was the defensive play of both teams, hence the poor offense of Balkan.
Iliyan Pishchikov was the most productive with 25 points with 6 of 9 shooting, from the free throws he is 10 of 11. The other with double digits in points - 10, is Jack Pagenkopf. With 9 is Demand Robinson, with 6 each are Jamari Blackmon and Dimitar Dimitrov.
Seven of Kolosos finished with over ten points. The most productive player with 16 was captain Petropoulos, with 12 was Karampelas, three scored 11 each - Goodwin, Kouroupakis and the Argentine Galvanini, with 10 each were Koloveros and Kalaidzakis.
On Sunday at 14:00 in Sofia, Kolosos will play a control match with the Israeli Apoel Tel Aviv.
And in the Balkans, he will face the German Rasta Vechta for the FIBA Cup on September 24.
