Bearbasket opened the semifinals of the FIBA Europe Cup with a loss.
Bearbasket suffered a loss on Wednesday. Stock photo, pictured by Daniel Dolenc. Marko Tuominiemi/AOP
On Wednesday, Kauhajoki Karhubasket lost the first semi-final match of the basketball FIBA Europe Cup to Wloclawek with a score of 71–90.
The Polish team led Karhubasket by only six points at the break, when the score was 43–37. Instead, the third quarter was poison for the Finns.
Wloclawek won the quarter bluntly 27–13, and led the game with a game-high 23 points. At best, Bearbasket got within 12 points, but couldn’t make up the distance.
– Of course we are disappointed. Much remained to be improved and improved in the home game. The opponent scored 35 points from our turnovers and offensive rebounds – that cannot be sustained in a game like this, when at the same time our own long-range game faltered, the head coach Janne Koskimies commented in the press release of the Finnish Basketball Association.
The Finnish team’s best scorers had bagged 16 points Cameron Jones14 points Jay Crockett and scored 13 points Severi Kaukiainen.
He brought 19 points to his team and shone as the star of the Polish team Victor Sanders. Michal Nowekowski and Phillip Greene threw 16 pins.
Karhubasket beat Wloclawek in the first group away 89–88, but lost at home 87–93.
The FIBA Europe Cup is the second highest international club team competition in Europe. The second leg of the semifinals will be played in Kauhajoki on April 5.
The place in the final will be decided by the combined result of the two matches.