Panathinaikos defeats ASVEL 102-79 behind 19 points from Francisco and Mantzoukas career-high
Panathinaikos AKTOR secured their second EuroLeague victory with a 102-79 win over ASVEL Villeurbanne in Athens, as all 11 active squad members scored.
First-quarter control and defensive pressure
Panathinaikos AKTOR secured a 102-79 victory against ASVEL Villeurbanne on Wednesday evening at Telekom Center Athens, recording their second consecutive EuroLeague win following an opening-round victory over Paris Basketball. Head coach Željko Obradović started Jerian Grant, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Lefteris Mantzoukas, Guerschon Yabusele, and Dinos Mitoglou on the floor. Following a competitive opening exchange tied at 7-7 after three and a half minutes, Panathinaikos mounted an 8-0 run to move ahead 15-7. Defensive pressure forced five turnovers from the French side in the opening ten minutes. Grant and Sylvain Francisco contributed seven points each to help Panathinaikos build a 25-13 advantage by the end of the first quarter.
- Panathinaikos and ASVEL are tied at 7-7 before an 8-0 Greek scoring run.
- Panathinaikos finishes the opening period ahead 25-13 behind Grant and Francisco.
- Badio scores five straight points to restore a 34-22 double-digit lead.
- Mantzoukas reaches 16 points as Panathinaikos leads 56-34 at the break.
- Yabusele and Kalaitzakis score to widen the advantage to 63-36.
- Panathinaikos holds an 80-56 lead heading into the final period.
- Panathinaikos closes out a 102-79 victory with all 11 players scoring.
Mantzoukas leads second-quarter scoring run
ASVEL opened the second period with consecutive three-point shots from Nate Sestina to trim the deficit to 25-19, leading Obradović to call a timeout in the opening minute. Panathinaikos quickly answered through Brancou Badio, who scored five consecutive points to restore a double-digit margin at 34-22 before committing his third foul. Mantzoukas then dominated the perimeter, converting two two-pointers and four out of five three-point attempts. His 16-point first half established a personal EuroLeague career scoring high, eclipsing his prior mark of 11 points. Panathinaikos closed the first half leading 56-34, having converted 12 of 20 two-point shots and 8 of 14 three-pointers while scoring 12 fast-break points and 11 points from eight ASVEL turnovers.
- Quarter 1
- 25 points
- Quarter 2 (Halftime)
- 56 points
- Quarter 3
- 80 points
- Quarter 4 (Final)
- 102 points
Second-half command and bench contributions
Panathinaikos extended their lead immediately after halftime, with back-to-back field goals from Yabusele and a three-pointer from Kalaitzakis pushing the score to 63-36 at the 23-minute mark. ASVEL, led by Tony Parker, struggled to generate defensive stops against the Athens side. Points from Nikos Rogkavopoulos expanded the advantage to 70-42 before ASVEL players Besson and Melvin Cale answered with two straight baskets. Panathinaikos closed the third quarter with an 80-56 lead after further offensive contributions from Mathias Lessort and Dimitris Moraitis off the bench. Francisco finished as the leading scorer of the game, tallying 19 points in 19 minutes and 36 seconds of action as Panathinaikos reached a 94-67 cushion at the 35-minute mark.
Squad rotation and upcoming EuroLeague schedule
Panathinaikos operated with a reduced 11-player roster due to the absence of Kendrick Nunn, Nigel Hayes-Davis, Kostas Sloukas, Moustapha Fall, and Juancho Hernangomez. Despite these absences, Obradović distributed minutes across the bench, resulting in every player on the active roster scoring points. ASVEL started the game with a five of Mills, Fodzo Ndanda, Crowder, Gach, and Bolomboy, but could not recover from early defensive lapses. The refereeing crew for the game consisted of Matej Boltauzer Javor, Milivoje Jovcic, and Jordi Aliaga. Panathinaikos next plays at home against Turkish club Fenerbahce in Round 3 of the competition on 8 October at 21:15 local time.
