Aztec Financial beat Vodafone 64-42 in Clausen, pulling away after halftime in a game that was tight for 20 minutes. The opening quarter saw trading baskets and outside makes on both sides, with Alessandro Biasi striking for 8 points in the first period. Vodafone briefly grabbed the lead late in the second when player-coach Adnan Adrovic scored five in a row (2+3) for 28-29, but Aztec replied immediately with a 6-0 spurt to 34-29 before Biasi trimmed it to 34-31 at the break.
The turning point came early in the third quarter. Vodafone committed four fouls in a row to open the half, then Aztec strung together a 13-0 run from 37-34 to 50-34, fueled by Tughan Tokus, Michalis Zournatzis, Leonidas Grigoriadis, Bernardo Henrique De Azevedo Santos and Savvas Leventis Giannas. Aztec's defense held Vodafone to just 3 points in the quarter (16-3). The hosts then produced an 8-0 burst to start the fourth, stretching the gap to a game-high 26 at 64-38 before closing it out.
Savvas Leventis Giannas led Aztec with 18 points, with strong support from Grigoriadis (11, including a first-quarter three), Tokus (11, key scores out of halftime), Christos Nterelis (10, a three and a free throw) and De Azevedo Santos (8). For Vodafone, Biasi had 16, Adrovic added 8 (including a three and three free throws), Huseyin Fikret Pekin 7 and Sven Pesche 6. Ion Ionita battled foul trouble, picking up four personals, which hurt Vodafone's balance as Aztec, under coach Chatzimousi, controlled the tempo and the scoreboard after the interval.
(AI generated)