The capitals held out for a long time and only had to admit defeat to the favorites in the final section.
In the end it was 76:84 (40:38) for the Italians. The best thrower from Berlin was Maodo Lo with 13 points.
Coach Israel Gonzalez had at least eleven players available, all of whom were used. Johannes Thiemann, Jonas Mattisseck and Malte Delow were absent as announced. “A difficult game for us,” said the coach shortly before the game given the circumstances against a strong opponent.
It took his players a few minutes to shake off the first rust after the long break in play. It was 5:11 in the middle of the first quarter. But then Alba showed a strong first half against the favorites, with attentive defense and good offensive rhythm at times. Above all, Lo convinced, who scored his 13 points in the first 20 minutes.
Shortly before the end of the first quarter, Alba led 23:18. Milan fought back, but Berlin always found an answer to the runs of the Italians. So it went into the dressing room with a narrow 40:38 lead for Alba.
The question was how long the Berliners would have enough strength. Players were instructed to signal a substitution immediately when the air stopped. Milan now defended more aggressively, but Alba held back with a good hit rate from distance. With a 59:60 we went into the final quarter.
The Italians pulled away to eight points. As the strength waned, Alba’s hit rate also fell. After 36 minutes, the hosts had a double-digit lead for the first time. The commitment of the Berliners was still right, but it wasn’t enough for a renewed comeback.
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