Alba Berlin narrowly lost their first test match (archive photo) Photo: picture alliance/ Nordphoto
From BZ/dpa
Alba Berlin narrowly lost its first test match in the pre-season for the Basketball Bundesliga.
The weakened capital city lost on Sunday in Oranienburg against the league rivals Veolia Towers Hamburg with 78:81 (39:47). The best Berlin throwers were Matt Thomas and Sterling Brown with 15 points each.
Coach Israel Gonzalez had to do without six players. In addition to the World Cup participants Johannes Thiemann (Germany), Yanni Wetzell (New Zealand), Zigar Samar (Slovenia), Matteo Spagnolo and Gabriele Procida (both Italy), center Christ Koumadje was also absent due to visa problems. The newcomers Thomas, Brown and Justin Bean made their debut in the Alba jersey.
The Berliners quickly took the lead, but the almost completely newly assembled team quickly noticed that the players had only been together for a few days. Many coordination problems and offensive problems increased Hamburg’s lead to 19 points (24:43) in the middle of the second period.
And even after the change of sides, Hamburg stayed ahead for a long time. It only got exciting again in the final phase because Alba equalized again 47 seconds before the end (78:78). Three seconds before the end, Louis Olinde scored the supposed winner with a three-pointer, but the throw came after the end of the attack time and therefore didn’t count. In return, Hamburg got the win with a buzzer beater.
The next test match will be played by the capital city next Sunday at the Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. The league starts on September 28th in Heidelberg.