72:88 defeat in Erfurt
Top-of-table team RSV Lahn-Dill have lost their spot in the sunshine. After the deserved 72:88 (12:25/29:46/47:64) defeat against new top team RSB Thuringia Bulls, the team had to travel home with deep disappointment in their own performance, especially lacking in the defence and not able to hinder the hosting team to score. The 16-point defeat did not just mean that RSV had to hand over the table-lead, but also the home advantage and the seemingly easier semi-final against Wiesbaden.
“Our performance, especially in the first half, was absolutely disappointing. We weren’t mentally prepared, they almost ran us over in the first quarter.” said RSV Head Coach Nicolai Zeltinger after the game. He was referring to the 25 points for RSB that flew past the RSV defence in the first quarter, which had so far been the best defence in the league.
This meant that RSV went from a 5:6 (4th min) to a 9:14 (6th min) to an 11:19 (7th min) deficit. The opposition worked together like Swiss clockwork from the first second. Latvian Raiminuds Beginskis took advantage of every tiny opportunity he could get, before Centre Aliaksandr Halouski took over the lead. The National Player scored 41 points at a hit ratio of 87,5 per cent.
That was just too much for RSV Lahn-Dill, who despite some slight improvements did not get on eye-level with their opponents. Every time they managed to get closer again at least a little bit (27:37, 17th min), their own mistakes ruined the advance again quickly. At 29:46 at half time, the Wetzlar team had already given away way more than their buffer from their 71:59-success in the first leg of the season.
After the break RSV came back with a better mental strength, but were still showing great gaps in their defence. As soon as the magical 12-point-mark came back into sight – as it did at 39:52 (25th min) scored by Captain Paye – the Bulls fought back ice-cold (42:58, 27th min). Only in the fourth quarter there seemed to be a turn within reach, when RSV had an 11:0-run. In the 33rd minute, the comfortable 58:64 advance for Thuringia had melted to meagre six points. But the title-defendants were only shaken briefly and was heading for a triumph again after only three more minutes, at 59:70.
The last few minutes of the game were incredibly tense. 29 seconds before the final whistle, at 70:82 scored by Piotr Luszynski, and a few seconds later after another basket scored by the Pole, making it 72:84, RSV had a tiny advance. But in the end, RSV were lacking not only stability but also luck. Thuringia presented a great hit-ratio of 63 per cent. They scored 23 of their 26 free throws, and 30:17 rebounds, which all combined to a deserved 88:72 win for the hosts.
Thüringen: Aliksandr Halouski (41), Raimund Beginskis (19/1 Dreier), Joakim Linden (17), André Bienek (4), Vahid Gholamazad (3), Jens-Eike Albrecht (2), Teemu Partanen (2), Vanessa Erskine, Benjamin Kenyon, Marcus Kietzer (n.e.), Marvin Malsy (n.e.).
Lahn-Dill: Piotr Luszynski (20/1), Michael Paye (20/1), Thomas Böhme (15), Philipp Häfeli (8), Nico Dreimüller (5/1), Joe Bestwick (2), Jan Haller (2), Annabel Breuer, Dirk Köhler, Björn Lohmann, Christopher Huber (n.e.).