CSKA stunning 23-0 run in first half hands Panathinaikos a tough home loss

CSKA Moscow blitzed Panathinaikos OPAP Athens to earn a comfortable 74-98 victory in the Greek capital on Wednesday night. A closely contested first quarter was followed by a mismatch in the second as CSKA surged clear with a 0-23 run which proved enough to settle the outcome for good. It was 33-60 at the interval, marking the joint-highest first half total ever recorded by CSKA in the competition. The margin never got much smaller the rest of the way as the visitors cruised to an easy win. Marius Grigonis led the way with 19 points, while Daniel Hackett scored 17, Toko Shengelia added 16 and Joel Bolomboy had a strong all-round game with 8 points and 8 rebounds. Ioannis Papapetrou led Panathinaikos’s resistance with 16 points, while Kendrick Perry scored 15 and Daryl Macon Jr added all his 11 points in the last quarter. CSKA improves to 11-7 while Panathinaikos is now 4-14.