Alba Berlin gets revenge. Trier dominated the first half. But then the Berliners got better and better and caused Trier their second home game defeat.
Trier started the game at a high pace and with a high hit rate. Right from the start, Berlin was lagging behind, sometimes significantly behind. It wasn’t until the end of the second half that Berlin got better into the game and fought its way to a halftime score of 54:47. Alba equalized in the third quarter. In the final quarter, the Berliners played to their strengths in defense and offensive rebounds. Trier lost 92:99.
The game started late because hundreds landed initially Cuddly toys as part of a charity campaign on the field. The Gladiators were anything but in a cozy mood against the Albatrosses from the start. Jordan Roland opened the game against the second-place team from the capital with a three-pointer – many were to follow. But Berlin immediately woke up and tried to make up for the disgrace of the home defeat on the second matchday.
Malte Delow (Alba Berlin) in a duel with Dexter Akanno (Gladiators Trier).
The Gladiators – to the delight of the 5,400 spectators in the sold-out Trier Arena – presented their now infamous high-speed basketball. Berlin coach Pedro Calles soon saw a need for discussion and asked his Albatrosses to time out after just five minutes and 18 points conceded. The little lecture had an effect – Alba found her way in better.
But Trier maintained the high level and the pressure from Berlin. After nine minutes, the Gladiators already had 30 points.
Trier with an outstanding three-point quota
In the second quarter, Berlin initially fought its way forward. The game became heated: the fouls increased and the hit rate fell. Jordan Roland restarted Trier’s scoring engine with his threes.
Because Urald King and Behnam Yakhchali also hit long-range throws, the Gladiators increased their lead to 15 points. But the Albatrosses showed why they are in second place in the Bundesliga table. Trier’s defense weakened. The halftime score: 54:47.
Behnam Yakhchali (Gladiators Trier) in a duel with Moses Wood (Alba Berlin).
Equalizer after the third quarter
Berlin’s upward trend continued seamlessly into the second half. The change in leadership was in the air. With the home crowd behind them, the Gladiators were able to repeatedly hit three-pointers to put nasty needle pricks in the Albatrosses’ feathers. The impressive hit rate at this point was 62 percent. But because Trier allowed a lot of turnovers, Berlin was able to equalize for the first time shortly before the end of the quarter. The final score was 73:73.
Jacques Schneider (Gladiators Trier) with his team during the break.
Berlin confidently in the final quarter
Alba started the final quarter better and took the lead for the first time in the game. Jordan Roland countered with a three-pointer. But Alba remained snappy on defense and strong on offensive rebounds. The statisticians counted 23 more field throws for Alba. Alba continued to pull away and finally won in Trier with 99:92. Trier’s center Marten Linßen: “Alba simply did a good job. We allowed too many turnovers and offensive rebounds.”
