Crvena Zvezda lose 89-87 to Olympiacos after Vezenkov scores the final six points

Crvena Zvezda led Olympiacos by four points with ninety seconds remaining, but Sasha Vezenkov scored six unanswered points to win the preseason basketball match. The 89-87 defeat at the Neofytos Chandriotis tournament in Cyprus came after Zvezda had led for much of the second half. Vezenkov finished with 22 points, while Jordan Nwora and Chima Moneke each scored 17 for the Serbian club.

Moneke helps Zvezda make a strong start

The opening quarter produced effective shooting at both ends. Jean Montero made his first two three-point attempts for Olympiacos, and Vezenkov contributed ten points in the period. Zvezda nevertheless found enough scoring of their own to finish the first quarter four points ahead.

Moneke helped with accurate three-point attempts. After missing the previous tournament, he returned to give Zvezda another scoring option. Both teams created opportunities near the basket and from longer distances in the opening quarter. Zvezda made enough of those attempts to reach the first break ahead, despite Vezenkov's productive start for Olympiacos.

Olympiacos edge a high-scoring first half

Codi Miller-McIntyre gave Olympiacos an important contribution early in the second quarter, while Evan Fournier reached 12 points by halftime. The Greek club's match report records a 56-55 lead at the interval. Zvezda therefore remained within one point despite conceding heavily during a period in which both teams' defensive resistance fell.

That narrow difference set up a much more competitive second half than a simple friendly score might suggest. Neither team had created enough separation to control the rest of the evening. For Zvezda, the next task was to preserve their scoring options while making it harder for Olympiacos to find the same comfortable opportunities.

Outside shooting creates an eight-point lead

Zvezda moved eight points ahead during the third quarter. Olympiacos' official account notes that the Serbian team had made 13 of its first 21 three-point attempts by the 27th minute. That shooting helped Zvezda stay in front even as the overall pace of scoring slowed after the interval.

The advantage was five points at the end of the third quarter. It gave Zvezda a favourable position without making the result secure. Olympiacos still had time to respond, and the final period became more demanding defensively. Shots that had created the lead earlier would no longer be enough unless they were accompanied by reliable late possessions and stops.

Vezenkov decides the last minute and a half

Cory Joseph helped Olympiacos reduce the difference during the fourth quarter, while Tyson Ward contributed across scoring, rebounding and passing. Zvezda were still ahead 87-83 as the game entered its last 90 seconds. At that stage, a successful possession or a defensive stop could have changed the ending.

Instead, Vezenkov scored six consecutive points and Zvezda scored none. Those final baskets changed an 83-87 deficit for Olympiacos into an 89-87 victory. Zvezda's earlier advantage gave them a chance to win, but they could not add the points needed to protect it. The final ninety seconds, rather than the small margin by itself, explain how the result changed.

Zvezda had fewer players available than usual

Nwora and Moneke led Zvezda's scoring, with Chris Jones contributing twelve points. Johnathan Motley was the only conventional centre available, according to the club's match report. Ebuka Izundu, Dejan Davidovac and Nikola Djurisic did not play. Their absence restricted the combinations the coach could test, although the report does not explain the medical status of every absent player.

Those personnel details are relevant when assessing a preparation game. Coaches are testing combinations as well as pursuing a result, and the available rotation can change which combinations they are able to use. The defeat still gives Zvezda a concrete late-game sequence to examine, rather than only a general impression of whether the team looked competitive.

The later Aris result closes the tournament timeline

This was the 87-89 game against Olympiacos in Cyprus, not the earlier preparation meeting between the clubs in Crete. Keeping the venue and score separate is essential because the same opponents met twice within a short period. The Cyprus contest belonged to the Neofytos Chandriotis tournament and developed into a close finish.

Zvezda then lost 98-76 to Aris in the third-place game on September 13. That later defeat is a separate result and should not be mixed into the Olympiacos score. It does, however, close the tournament timeline: the encouraging shooting and Moneke's contribution against Olympiacos were followed by a much more difficult game in which Zvezda committed 19 turnovers.