Tyler Dorsey and Sasha Vezenkov combined for 47 points as reigning champion Olympiacos Piraeus opened its EuroLeague title defense with a convincing 106-89 victory over Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on Thursday.

Olympiacos bounced back from its loss to Real Madrid in the EuroLeague Basketball SuperCup Final by taking control after a fast start from the hosts. Dorsey scored 25 points, while Vezenkov added 22 in just 19 minutes, shooting 8-of-10 from the field and making all eight of his free throws for a performance index rating of 30.

Baskonia came out firing at Buesa Arena, making its first six three-point attempts to build a 22-15 lead. Olympiacos gradually found its defensive rhythm, however, and responded with a 21-7 run to take control early in the second quarter.

The visitors extended their advantage to 12 points at 44-56 before taking a 56-46 lead into halftime.

Baskonia briefly cut the deficit to seven early in the second half, but Olympiacos immediately answered. Vezenkov and Dorsey combined for 15 points during a decisive 17-2 run that turned a competitive game into a rout.

The run put Olympiacos ahead 79-57, and Baskonia never got closer than 14 points for the remainder of the contest.

While Dorsey and Vezenkov provided the scoring, Olympiacos also received an encouraging EuroLeague debut from Jean Montero. The 23-year-old guard, who starred for Valencia Basket last season, finished with 15 points and five assists.

Montero made an immediate impact during the final four minutes of the opening quarter, hitting a three-pointer and setting up four baskets. He added another three, a backdoor layup and another assist in the second period as Olympiacos began taking control.

Tyrique Jones contributed 12 points and eight rebounds, while Tyson Ward scored 11. Codi Miller-McIntyre, meanwhile, made his presence felt primarily as a playmaker. The 32-year-old, who set the EuroLeague single-season assists record with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade last season, finished with six assists despite scoring only two points.

Baskonia was led by AJ Lawson’s 20 points, while Tadas Sedekerskis added 15 points. Markus Howard and Chris Duarte contributed nine points each.

Despite shooting 16-of-44 from three-point range, Baskonia struggled badly inside, making just 14-of-36 two-point attempts. The hosts also could not contain an Olympiacos offense that shot 66.7% from two-point range and 92.9% from the free-throw line.

Olympiacos will next visit Zalgiris Kaunas on Tuesday, while Baskonia travels to Valencia.