THESSALONIKI (Basketball Champions League) - Iberostar Tenerife rode their captain Nico Richotti to hold on for a 79-74 win over PAOK on Wednesday evening.

Richotti came up with a huge block on a late three-point attempt from PAOK's Thodoris Zaras, and had the go-ahead lay up with 33 seconds remaining to come up with key plays whenever Tenerife needed them.

Tim Abromaitis had an instrumental offensive board in the final moments, drawing a foul and knocking down both shots to ensure the victory.

Richotti finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Mike Tobey had 15 points, whilst Mateusz Ponitka had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. 

"I knew it was going to be a difficult game," Tenerife Head Coach Nenad Markovic commented.

"It's always when one team cuts some players, have some important player injuries, there is always one, two, players who step up to replace them and the other players stay united as a team and give more effort, and this is what PAOK did today.

"Tsochlas made great game, 13 points, 5 assists, he almost didn't play until now, also Katsivelis and Lucky Jones.

"We had an opportunity to break the game in the first half and we didn't use it. We went to rotations to protect some of our players.

"We didn't play the way we wanted to in the second half and couldn't punish their switching defence and this was a big problem for us."

Dimitris Katsivelis led PAOK with 16 points, Lucky Jones had 15 points and 8 rebounds, whilst Apollon Tsochlas had 13 points and 5 assists; including a huge late three in the final minute to give PAOK their first lead since the early stages.

Tenerife used four of five shooting from beyond the arc in the opening period to take an early 23-17 lead after the first quarter. 

The two teams matched each other blow for blow to open the second period. A Richotti three from the corner extended Tenerife's lead to nine, forcing a timeout, before a Richotti steal and Ponitka bucket took the lead to double digits for the first time, 33-22 with 5:36 left in the half.

PAOK made a surge towards the end of the half, getting to within four multiple times before San Miguel was fouled and knocked down two free throws before the halftime buzzer to give Tenerife a six point cushion, 36-42 at the break. The visitors' three-point shooting continued, as they were 7 of 11.

In the third PAOK mounted their comeback, tying the game on numerous occasions but couldn't get over the hump until Tsochlas' late three.

It was Lucky Jones who led the comeback in the fourth, having 7 points in the period, 5 of which came in the final five minutes.

Tenerife are now 4-1, whilst PAOK are stuck at 1-4 at the other end of Group B.