Nick Galis Cup: Aris Edges CSKA Moscow, 60-59

Aris Thessaloniki (Greece-A1) defeated CSKA Moscow (Russia-VTB) 60-59 in the final game of the Nick Galis Cup, yet another recently concluded preseason friendly tournament. The cup is held in honor of former Aris player Nikolaos Georgalis, who is commonly known as Nick  or Nikos Galis. He was a Greek-American player who was named one of FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1991. He was one of the best European basketball players ever. Galis was inaugurated to the FIBA Hall of Fame and named as one of the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors in 2008. Nikos also led the Greek national team to Eurobasket gold in 1987 and a silver medal in 1989. During his professional career in the Greek league, Galis was renowned for being one of the best scorers of his time.

The game was close for the most part. The visiting team from Moscow pulled out an early first-quarter lead 19-15. Aris kept pace with them and did not allow for CSKA to extend their lead any further and were able to keep them at a manageable distance with the first-half record of 35-31. Aris seized the initiative with some bold plays, taking command of the game 49-41 in the fourth quarter. CSKA responded with a tighter defense and retook the advantage with very little time remaining in regulation. The crowd exploded with jubilation as Muhamed Pasalic sank a buzzer-beating jumper to lift his team to their one-point victory. Pasalic finished the game with nine points. LaMarcus Reed led Aris with 16 points, while Aleksandar Vezenkov added 12. Aaron Jackson paced CSKA Moscow with 19 points, while his teammate Manuchar Markoishvili chipped in 10 points of his own.