Panionios used a furious late surge and Matt Lewis’s last second free throws to overturn the Lions’ lead and claim a dramatic 79-78 home win
Panionios survives wild ending to defeat Lions in Athens
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 16 of 18
Regular Season
group b
Panionios Cosmorama Travel AthensPAN
7978
London LionsLDN
group b
Overview
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Panionios Cosmorama Travel Athens edged the London Lions 79-78 after a chaotic finish at the National Athletic Center Makis Liougad, capped by Matt Lewis’s 2 free throws with one second left. The hosts forced a turnover on a late London out‑of‑bounds play to set up the winning sequence.
“It was a very tough game,” said Panionios head coach Nenad Markovic. “The Lions play good, they play tough, they’re an athletic team… We showed great spirit to try and win the game. In the end, we succeeded.”
London led early and for long stretches, but Panionios kept coming. The first half swung on intensity and errors.
“We tried to manage our offensive game to adjust to their toughness and in many situations we didn’t do it well,” Markovic admitted – before the hosts found enough stops and composure to close it out at the line.
With both teams now out of playoff contention, only pride was at stake, but that didn’t stop both teams from competing with maximum intensity. London raced off to the better start, playing hard on both ends to open up a double-digit advantage in the first quarter. Though the hosts were able to tie the game just before halftime, they somehow managed to foul twice in the space of 1 second of play, meaning that London took a 3-point lead to the locker room.
Coach Tautvydas Sabonis’s men pulled away in the third period, scoring as a team to put themselves in pole position, but this one was far from done. Late-game ejections for London’s Chaundee Brown and Panionios’s Joe Thomasson disrupted the flow of the final frame, in which Markovic’s team kept chase down the stretch. The Lions seemed to have the game won, until some shocking final plays unfolded.
After a crucial three-pointer, Panionios played smothering defense on a London out-of-bounds play, forcing a brutal turnover with 10 seconds left on the clock. Choosing not to advance the ball, the hosts stretched the Lions’ defense with their final play, creating space for an unsuccessful shot attempt. However, Lewis drew a foul on the rebound, with a second remaining and was able to keep a cool hand, sinking both at the charity stripe and completing a heartening fightback victory.
Brandon Taylor played the starring role, adding 7 dimes and 3 steals to his difference-making 20 points. Joe Thomasson recorded 13 points before being ejected from the game. With their teams moving the ball effectively, the Greek team scored as a unit, with Jackson Kreuser scoring 12 points and Nate Watson posting 10 points and 9 rebounds.
“We have to be ready to play against a good team, learn from our mistakes because every game is a chance to get better,” Sabonis stated before the game.
Despite holding the lead for the majority of the clash, it was in fact a catastrophic error on the decisive in-bound play that gave Panionios a chance in this one.
The result was never going make a huge difference to either team’s campaign, but the hosts moved to 3-13 with the win, while London slides to 5-11 for the season.
