Yannakis aims high as Greece holds off Lebanon

Greece vs Lebanon (Photo credit: FIBA)Photo Gallery>>(BEIJING, July 15) -- Greece grabbed a 119-62 victory against Lebanon in their opening game at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Undefeated in the warm-up games, host Greece came into the qualifying tournament in Athens as a strong favorite. Panagiotis Yannakis's boys are widely expected to maintain their winning streak and clinch one of the three spots for the Beijing Olympics at stake.

Greece led 32-17 in the first quarter and extended the lead to 54-27 by half-time. A Greek victory was all but sure as Yannakis's men stayed in control the rest of the game.

Kostas Tsartsaris of Greece led the way with a game-high 15 points in the 18-minute, while Dimitris Diamantidis collected 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for the host country.

Fadi El Khatib scored a team-high 14 points for Lebanon, and his teammate Brian Beshara-Feghali netted 12 points.

To stay in contention for an Olympic ticket, Lebanon will have to defeat South American power Brazil in the next game.