PIRAEUS, Greece — Rick Pitino’s winning streak with Greek club Panathinaikos is over.
After two straight victories in his European coaching job, Pitino’s team was dealt a 79-65 loss on the road Friday to archrival Olympiakos in a game for the Euroleague, Europe’s premier club competition.
Olympiakos broke open the game late in the first half with a 10-0 run that extended its lead to 36-21. Olympiakos led by as many as 21 points and Panathinaikos could not get closer than 12.
There was excitement until the end, though, as Olympiakos was seeking to erase Panathinaikos’ 13-point win (93-80) earlier in the season to have the advantage in case of an equal win-loss record. Olympiakos (10-6) is in fifth place and Panathinaikos (7-9) is 11th.
“It was only one game,” Pitino said afterward.