MUNICH (Germany) - Bilbao Basket held off PAOK mateco 72-65 in a physical FIBA Europe Cup Finals first leg showdown on Wednesday night.
Melwin Pantzar led the Spanish side with 19 points, as they completed a perfect season at home in the competition in front of a soldout crowd of 10,014 at Bilbao Arena.
Turning point
Bilbao started on fire from beyond the arc, and led for the entirety of the first two quarters and chunks of the third quarter, until PAOK grabbed their first advantage with 2:30 left in the third at 46-44 through free throws from Frank Bartley.
Showing tremendous character, Bilbao responded with an 8-0 run to regain the lead. From there, the Spaniards never looked back, taking the advantage, heading to the second leg in Greece next Wednesday.
Game hero
Melwin Pantzar was a menace on the defensive end, whilst scoring at will with 19 points - 11 of those coming in the first half. Belgian forward Thijs De Ridder went 6-of-7 from the field for 13 points and pulling down 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Stats don't lie
In a scrappy battle, neither team gave each other an inch. Bilbao started hot from three-point land, going 6-of-9 to start but finishing 8-for-23. In contrast, PAOK struggled from outside and could only convert three of their 26 attempts.
Bilbao also scored 16 points off 10 PAOK turnovers, which was a huge factor in the home side's victory.
Bottom line
In a physical first leg, Bilbao's hot shooting in the opening exchanges, mixed with physical perimeter defense, gave them the advantage after the first leg.
But despite losing by seven, PAOK will fancy their chances at home in the deciding game. They had to work for every basket and battled hard throughout, enjoying a brief lead in the late stages of the third quarter before tapping out. But this isn't over.
FIBA