5000+ ARIS TT Bank fans chanted for the teams return to the Euroleague and filled the stadium to the point of suffocation at the Alexandrio stadium today. And as Andreas Mazzon’s squad heard the chants and remembered the many moments of the glorious past, they unfolded their many talents and used their hearts and were able to prevail in their first Euroleague match with a final score of 66 – 58 against the Turkish Fenerbache Ulker. A victory with great importance, not only as far as the score is concerned, but for reasons of prestige, since Greek basketball’s “Emperor” came back with a way that is fit for the elites of European Basketball, after a 14 year absence.



Tonight, the fans were with out a doubt the 6th player of the team, and that is what led the ARIS to a much desired victory. The atmosphere created was amazing, and this was admitted by both the Turkish coach, Aydin Ors, and the all the players that took part in the game.



ARIS TT Bank had a weapon tonight, and it was the outstanding defense against the guards of Fenerbahce Ulker, but also their sense of serenity in offense that allowed them to reach a score of 38 – 26 by half time. In the first minute of the game, Georgios Kalaitzis had the Turks American star Willie Solomon on lock down, making him loose his rhythm.

This continued until the end of the game, which eventually lead the American guard to finish the game having only 7 points (with 2/10 field goal attempts). Even when our opponents were coming close to our score at 30’ (55 – 51), and were becoming a threat, our players were determined enough to take the lead once again (at 33’ with a score of 60 – 51) and finally win the game with a final score of 66 – 58.



Apart from Kalaitzi, the other players that made a good effort were Scales and Wilkinson, while in the first part, the new comer Mahmoud Abdul – Rauf, with his magical dribbles aroused the fans on a number of occasions. None of the 12 players Andreas Mazzon which used lacked anything.



From Fenerbahce, Kutuay made some good effort at times during the game, while the other stars of the team were only graded as having an average performance. This had to do not only with the strong defense ARIS TT Bank played, but also with the great pressure they were exposed to by the exceptional friends of the team.



The Periods: 17-17, 38-26, 55-51, 66-58.



ARIS TT Bank (Mazzon): Castle 4, Sigalas, Serapinas 4 (1), Scales 14(3), Kalaitzis 5(1), Iliadis, Wilkinson 16, Flecer 2, Massey 8, Giannoulis 2, Panteliadis, Abdul – Rauf 11(1).



Φενερμπαχτσέ Ούλκερ (Έρς): Solomon 7(1), Turksan 10 (2), Onan 3, Kutluay 18(4), Basak, Savas, Mrsic 3(1), Clark 5, Kambala 12.

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Ors: We Thank ARIS for the Warm Hospitality

Fenerbahce Ulker’s coach, Aydin Ors, spoke with the most flattering words about ARIS TT Bank. The Turkish coach took special notice in the hospitality that the “yellows” offered them, making them feel as if they were at home, and no one forgot to mention the amazing fans who for yet another time, had the opponents admiration.



The experienced coach who faced against ARIS 13 year ago during the final of the Cup Winners Cup in Turin stressed: “First of all I would like to congratulate ARIS, not only for their victory, but also for the amazing atmosphere the fans created in the stadium. I would also like to thank the ARIS Management for their warm hospitality.



As far as the game is concerned, it was our worst game since the beginning of the season, especially playing offence, and this was of course due to the fact that ARIS was playing good defense. In the second part of the game, we were able to gain up on the score using our good defense as a weapon, but in the offense we lost easy shots, and finally we were defeated. We also had many problems in the offensive rebounds. Our opponents scored 14 points after offensive rebounds, and we only scored 2. Euroleague just started, and we have a long way ahead of us, we just lost one game”.



Mazzon: This Victory Will Give us Strength



The coach of ARIS TT Bank, Andreas Mazzon, declared: “We are very happy that we won, and I am especially happy that as of this moment I am the first ARIS coach that wins a match in Euroleague after 14 years. If our fans continue to be with us as they were today, they will help us a lot, because we really need them”.



As far as tonight’s match is concerned he remarked: “I can say we did a very good job. We kept our opponents on defense, and when a team like Fenerbahce Ulker has only 33% accuracy in their attempts, this says a lot about the defense we played today. The fact that our opponents were so unsuccessful in their shots, even their free shots, has to do with the pressure we put on them”.



When asked about the length of tonight’s victory, the Italian coach noted: “This victory was very important for us, and will give us the energy we need to continue, especially in November, a difficult month, with difficult games and tiring movements. Many people said we would not be able to advance with the team we have. The only thing I have to say for yet another time is, the money and the names are not only what make good teams, and I can assure that ARIS will fight and try for the best in every match”.





Andreas Mazzon did not forget to mention the outstanding defense Giorgos Kalaitzis played on Solomon, stressing that the team is well prepared for the encounter with the American ace, : “It was not only Kalaitzis who played well, but the whole team, and especially the tall players played exceptionally well against him” he said.

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15 years where way too long for the Emperor!Hopefully we will play from now on every year in the Euroleague. :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

How does Shakespeare say it? A Mid-Summer Night's Dream :P :P :P

Arianara...The empire strkes back again... :applause: