Kolossos Hotels Rhodes 77–65 SCM Craiova
Kolossos Hotels Rhodes saw off SCM Craiova 77-65 in the FIBA Europe Cup on Wednesday evening. The Greek hosts controlled the tempo from the opening tip and never let the visitors close the gap, even when Craiova found their rhythm on the offensive end. And here's the thing — it wasn't a blowout in the traditional sense, but the margin held firm through every quarter.
The shooting split told the real story. Rhodes connected on 25 of 58 field goals, while Craiova managed 23 from 70 attempts. The difference came from beyond the arc, where the hosts knocked down 12 of 33 three-pointers compared to just seven from 27 for the Romanians. By then Craiova had already committed 23 personal fouls to Rhodes' 18, and that added up on the free-throw line.
Statistically the match wasn't close at all. Craiova pulled 39 rebounds to 33 and had more field goal attempts, but their one block compared to seven for the hosts showed how little Rhodes' defence let the visitors inside. The away side also turned the ball over 13 times while the hosts managed 14 — nearly identical figures, yet the context mattered more than the raw numbers.
Rhodes came into this fixture having won their last outing 91-75 against Lefkada, while Craiova's most recent match was a 113-98 victory over Corona Brasov's women's side. That discrepancy in competition level might explain why the visitors looked comfortable in the first half but faded when Rhodes tightened their spacing and started hitting from distance.
The result leaves the Greek side with momentum heading into their next fixture. A 12-point win on the road against a side that dominated the glass but couldn't find the right shots suggests the hosts have found their identity this season. To be fair, the statistics will tell you everything you need to know if you read them backwards — more rebounds don't win games when you can't finish.
