Only a win would keep the Belgian Lions on course for their first World Cup.
A good start was key and the Lions and the Greeks almost kept each other on balance.
This happened under the impulse of the energy bomb Retin Obasohan, good for as many as 20 of the 34 Belgian points at the half: 34-31.
Greece, however, had steadily refueled in the dressing room and put much more pressure on the Lions, where Obasohan briefly faded.
After some Greek intermediate sprints, the too static Lions had to show character and they did: 55-58 at the start of the last quarter.
The Greeks did not want to loosen that limited distance by a meter. The Lions did their best, but the dime seemed to fall again and again in the visitors’ direction due to missed free throws and turnovers.
One last strike from Obasohan could have changed that, but the arbitration nipped a stunt in the bud with a questionable decision.
The Belgians will play Great Britain and Turkey in February, but the World Cup is 99% out of reach.
Quarters: 7-7pm, 3-12pm, 9-10pm, 3-2pm
Schutters België: Obasohan 30 points, Bako 10, Mwema 9, Tabu 7, Lecomte 5, Tumba 4, Gillet 3, De Zeeuw 2
He wasn’t there against Turkey, but against the Greeks Retin Obasohan was the absolute protagonist with 30 points.
“We fought hard, so this defeat is tough,” he said. “Nobody gave us a 5% chance to be that close against Greece. So I’m particularly proud of our players and staff.”
“It has been a long road. We have shown that we can compete with anyone, even if many don’t believe in us. We lost, but we made a big step forward for Belgian basketball.”
“If we still have a small chance at the World Cup, then we’ll try. Today was a big chance, but we didn’t get it.”
