EUROBASKET 2011

Turning Point: Greece converted three triples during the last 71 seconds of the game which proved decisive.

Game Heroes: Nikos Zisis finished with a game-high 19 points and made two huge shots in crunch time.

Stats Don't Lie: Greece made 9 of 17 from downtown and their outside shooting won them the game.

Sharp-shooting Nikos Zisis was the inspiration for Greece as they toppled Slovenia in a dramatic finish to a roller-coaster game.

The guard drilled home two big clutch shots as the Greeks registered their first win in Round 2, 69-60, to show their mental strength having thrown away a commanding 15-point lead.

In an interesting first quarter, Greece didn't make any substitutions for almost eight minutes and didn't jack up a single shot from downtown. Antonios Fotsis came off the bench with a dunk to help his team open up an 18-13 lead.

While Zoran Dragic also threw one down in transition at the start of the second period, it wasn't a sign of good things to come for Slovenia. Greece made their move with eleven unanswered points including a three-pointer from Nikos Zisis which was the first outside shot taken by the Greeks.

Things then got worse for Slovenia when both Mike Bramos and Nick Calathes also dropped three-balls to put Greece in command at 35-20 as Bozidar Maljkovic called time-out to try and stem the tide.

His team improved defensively as a result and Greece could only muster two free-throws during the last three and a half minutes. At least Coach Maljkovic could remind his team in the locker room that Greece had almost blown a 20 point lead in their previous game against Croatia.

That notion had real substance when Slovenia started the third quarter with an 8-2 run. Greece began to falter and crack under the much improved Slovenian defence.

After an unsportsmanlike foul on Nick Calathes and another dunk by Dragic, Slovenia had closed to within a point at 44-43 before Matjaz Smodis drained a three as Slovenia took the lead.

The fourth quarter was nail-biting and both teams looked capable of taking the win until the late flurry of threes from Greece which sealed the victory with Fotsis sinking a triple either side of the two made by Zisis.