Greece secured a dramatic 108-106 overtime victory over Spain at Telekom Center Athens on Monday, August 31, keeping its hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup alive.
Konstantinos Mitoglou and Tyler Dorsey scored international career highs of 29 points each, while captain Nick Calathes contributed 13 points and eight assists. The result ended Greece’s three-game losing streak—the country’s longest in European Qualifiers history—and improved its Group I record to 4-4 with four games remaining.
Greece started the crucial encounter with intensity and established an early 13-4 advantage. Spain quickly recovered, however, and finished the opening quarter ahead 20-19.
Mitoglou dominated the first half, scoring 19 points before the interval and helping Greece regain the lead. Vassilis Spanoulis’ team entered halftime narrowly ahead at 43-42.
Greece Builds a Double-Digit Lead
The hosts raised their performance after the break. Calathes controlled the tempo, Dorsey hit several important shots, and Vassilis Toliopoulos made an impact on both ends of the court.
Greece outscored Spain 24-16 in the third quarter to take a 67-58 lead into the final period. The advantage grew to 12 points at 72-60, but Spain refused to surrender.
The visitors took advantage of Greek turnovers and steadily reduced the deficit. Mitoglou made it 84-78 late in regulation, but Alvaro Cardenas responded before Jaime Pradilla cut Greece’s lead to a single point at 84-83.
Dorsey then converted two free throws to give Greece an 86-83 advantage. Spain had one final possession, and Juancho Hernangomez found himself open following a defensive mistake before hitting the three-pointer that tied the game with 6.6 seconds remaining.
Greece Holds Its Nerve in Overtime
Despite surrendering its late lead, Greece recovered quickly in overtime. Mitoglou continued his outstanding shooting display, while Dorsey and Calathes produced decisive plays as the hosts moved 101-95 ahead.
Spain fought back once more, with Dario Brizuela hitting a crucial three-pointer to cut Greece’s lead to 107-105. A Greek turnover then gave Joel Parra the opportunity to tie the game from the free-throw line with 13 seconds remaining, but he converted only one of his two attempts.
Toliopoulos was fouled at the other end and also made one of two free throws, giving Greece a 108-106 lead. Spain failed to produce a clean shot on its final possession, allowing Greece to celebrate a vital victory.
Mitoglou finished with seven rebounds and made seven of his ten three-point attempts. Dorsey hit five three-pointers and was perfect from the free-throw line, converting all ten of his attempts. Toliopoulos added 11 points, while Greece shot 46.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Parra led Spain with 18 points, Mario Saint-Supery scored 16, and Aday Mara recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
The attendance of 17,677 was the third-highest recorded in the history of the European World Cup Qualifiers. The two larger crowds were also registered at games involving Greece: 19,443 spectators attended Greece’s match against Belgium in Athens in 2022, while 19,150 watched Serbia face Greece in Belgrade that same year.
Greece Remains in a Tight Qualification Race
The victory moved Greece to 4-4 in Group I, level with Portugal and Montenegro. Ukraine leads the group with a 6-2 record, while Spain and Georgia are both 5-3. Portugal currently occupies fourth place, followed by Greece and Montenegro.
The top three teams in each second-round group will qualify for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.
Greece will host Georgia on November 26 before traveling to face Spain on November 29. Its final two qualifying games will be against Ukraine at home on February 26, 2027, and Georgia away on March 1.
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