By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
While PAOK Mateco was nowhere near defending its home court against Tofas Bursa, MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg used the power of playing in front of their fans to take a step towards the Basketball Champions League Round of 16.
The German side took complete control in the third quarter and registered a convincing 82-63 win over Darussafaka Lassa to take the lead in the best-of-three Play-In series.
Jayvon Graves led the winning side with 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds, while Elijah Childs followed him with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Eddy Edigin also finished in double figures with 11 points, while Desure Buie and Jaren Lewis added nine points each.
Recently signed Brendan Adams, with 13 points, and Josh Carlton, with 11 points and 13 rebounds, led Darussafaka, while Muhammad Abdur Rahkman, Lloyd Pandi, and Bora Yasar added nine points apiece.
Ludwigsburg moved the ball better on offense, resulting in 18 assists, while Darussafaka only had four. The guests also had 18 turnovers, while the winning side turned over the ball on eight occasions. With these parameters, the Istanbul side didn’t stand a chance, especially with a 1-19 shooting record from three.
However, after the first half, everything was pretty much open, but the third quarter proved to be the key. Ludwigsburg made a 10-1 run to establish a double-digit lead and kept pushing until securing a 65-45 advantage before the final 10 minutes. Early in the final period, it was clear Darussafaka couldn’t fight back, and the hosts maintained their distance, bringing the match to a close without any fuss.
Game 2 between these two sides is scheduled for January 10 at the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul, with Darussafaka in a do-or-die situation.
Postgame press conference
Photo: fiba.basketball