Greece failed to keep up with hosts Turkey in Ankara on Tuesday and slumped to a disappointing 76-65 defeat in Group C of the World Basketball Championship.
Turkey found themselves in the lead for almost the whole game but Greece kept the difference to five or six points until the third quarter.
Ironically, mid-way through the third period, Greece had the chance to go one point in front but missed a three-pointer. Within a minute, Turkey were nine points in front and the game had escaped Greece’s grasp.
Three-pointers actually told the story of the game as Greece scored less than one in three of theirs while Turkey were successful with half of their long-range shots.
Greece struggled to break down Turkey’s zone defence and were unable to penetrate to score easily from within the paint. As a result, the visitors were forced into three-points shots.
Turkey, on the other hand, had much better penetration in the key and were more accurate from long-range.
In Tuesday’s other games, Russia beat Ivory Coast 72-66 and Puerto Rico overcame China 84-76.
The results mean that Turkey top the group with a perfect three from three record, followed by Russia and then Greece.
Jonas Kazlauskas’s men still have Russia and Ivory Coast to play but Spain’s defeat to Lithuania on Tuesday means that Greece are likely to face the world champions or the USA in the round of 16.