The Alba Berlin basketball players came back from their Corona break with a defeat. On Tuesday, Israel Gonzalez’s team lost 76-84 to Armani Milan in the Euroleague. In the first two quarters, the Berliners surprised with a very good game, but in the end had less energy reserves. The best Berlin pitcher was Maodo Lo with 13 points.
Difficult starting point
At the beginning of January, Alba Berlin’s form chart read well: fifth win in a row against the Hamburg Towers. But the Berliners reported a corona outbreak in the team just a few days later. The team went into quarantine. Five games had to be postponed. The first joint training for Alba Berlin was only possible on Saturday. 16 days out and three easy training sessions: Armani Milan, sixth in the Euroleague, seemed a thankless first opponent after the break.
Alba surprised
But despite lowered expectations, the Albatrosses managed to keep up well in the first quarter. Luke Sikma and Tamir Blatt narrowly kept the gap with successful three-pointers. Maodo Lo found the 2.21-metre Christ Koumadje at the basket, who pocketed the ball easily. Just a few seconds later, Lo stole the ball and scored the equalizer at 15:15. By the end of the quarter, the Berliners even managed to pull away by two points (24:22).
Unlike in the first leg, Milan gave Marcus Eriksson significantly less space and managed to calm the long-range shooter. Thanks to several rebounds from Nicolo Melli, the Milanese put on an 8-0 run. But they couldn’t find a solution for Lo, who worked out in a very hectic game with many turnovers on both sides. The Berliner collected 13 points and helped Alba to lead 40:38.
Endless or finite energy reserves?
Without the two homegrown players Malte Delow and Jonas Mattisseck as well as center Johannes Thiemann, who did not travel to Milan after their infection, the Berliners had fewer rotation opportunities. But Israel Gonzalez’s team continued to use their energy reserves to the full in the third quarter. The first signs of fatigue showed up when the Berliners repeatedly failed to get under the basket and were stopped twice by the clock that had expired. But the threes sat, which in the case of Blatt sometimes came a little further from the line. Alba fought a 59:60 before the last part of the game.
Thanks to Giampaolo Ricci, the Milanese managed to further extend their lead (69:63). At the same time, the accuracy of the albatrosses decreased. The threesomes were more and more often just too short. The opponent a little faster. Luigi Datome doubled the gap with a three (76:65). The Berliners could not recover from this deficit. Successful free throws by Eriksson and a three by Yovel Zoosman brought Alba even closer, but after 40 minutes the Berliners were 76:84 behind.
Gonzalez: “I’m proud of her”
Despite the defeat, the Berliners showed a spirited game and did not show the lack of match practice, especially in the first half. Ultimately, it was not surprising that the energy was not quite enough to keep up with Milan. But for the fact that the energy lasted so long. Israel Gonzalez’s conclusion at Magenta Sport was therefore positive: “I’m proud of her.”
How sustainable the energy reserves of Berliners are will become apparent over the course of the week. Because there are still two more games waiting for the Albatrosses. On Thursday, January 20, 2022, starting at 8 p.m., they will welcome Euroleague opponents Real Madrid in the Arena am Ostbahnhof. And on Sunday, January 23, 2022, it’s also at home against Ludwigsburg from 3 p.m.
Broadcast: rbb24, January 18, 2022, 9:45 p.m
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As of: 01/18/2022, 10:50 p.m