That was a lot of hard work: The EWE Baskets OIdenburg only decided the game against MBC Weißenfels on Saturday evening in the final quarter.
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Oldenburg – No head coach, two new failures and a hot fight on the floor: The EWE Baskets had to work hard for this home win against MBC Weißenfels on Saturday evening. With 95:88 (42:48), the Oldenburg team prevailed against the basketball Bundesliga team from Saxony-Anhalt. The Baskets consolidated tenth place in the table for the first time.
For Predrag Krunic’s team, however, it was another setback in the fight to stay in the league. For the MBC coach, who won the first and only German championship with the Baskets in 2009 and was warmly welcomed by the Oldenburg fans in the large EWE Arena, which was packed with 6,200 spectators, it was the third defeat in a row with his “Wolves “. The best Oldenburg thrower was Len Schoormann with 22 points.
Preliminary report
AGAIN WITH MASTER COACH KRUNIC Baskets Oldenburg want to defend tenth place against Weißenfels
Calles is missing from the sidelines
The Oldenburg team had to do without coach Pedro Calles on the sidelines. The Spaniard was out due to illness. His assistants Franjo Borchers and Ferried Naciri took over for him. Winger Alen Pjianic (finger) and center Ebuka Izundu (strained ankle in training) also had to pass against the MBC. For both of them, the injuries shouldn’t be too serious. Kenneth Ogbe, who had to play for a long time because there were no alternatives, was still rested. Charles Manning Jr. (retraining after foot surgery) was also not yet involved.
A few weeks ago, with six professionals injured at times, this would have been bad news for the Baskets. But now it is no problem to compensate for these failures. So the coaching team didn’t have to think long about which of the eight foreign professionals they would bring against the MBC. Finally, Manning Jr. (USA) and Izundu (NIgeria) could not be used for the reasons mentioned. To understand: In the Bundesliga, only six import players are allowed to be in the matchday squad.
Oldenburg game with mistakes
Weißenfels opened the game with the first points and subsequently took a 6-2 lead. But then the home team turned up the heat and took control – but only briefly. Because the MBC couldn’t be shaken off (13:12/5th minute) and finally took the lead again. Oldenburg was now chasing a deficit that was four points by the quarter break (24:28).
The hosts started better in the second ten minutes. First Artur Konontsuk (ultimately 18 points) hit a three-pointer, then Deane Williams on the other side prevented a dunk from the guests with a spectacular block. The Baskets took the lead again (32:30/13.). Konontsuk extended the lead to ten points (40:30) with two successful three-pointers and a mid-range shot on his own initiative. But that didn’t bring any security to the home team. The Baskets’ game was error-prone. With a 9-0 run, Weißenfels got back to within one point before Borchers and Naciri took a timeout. Nevertheless, the lead changed again and Oldenburg was behind again (40:42/18th). Center Norris Agbakoko finally ended MBC’s 16-0 run (42:46). The Baskets went into halftime with a score of 42:48.
WEISSENFELS IS A GUEST IN OLDENBURG John Bryant already delivered these best results against Baskets
Baskets with two strong starts
The Oldenburgers came out of the locker room with anger in their stomachs. With an 8:1 run, the Baskets were back in the game within two minutes (50:49/22). But it remained a close duel in which things went back and forth. In the middle of the third quarter, the Baskets gained a small lead, which they defended until the final quarter (71:70).
Again the hosts got off to a better start. After an 8-0 run for Oldenburg, Krunic took a timeout. After that, the Baskets continued to control the game and ultimately secured the hard-fought home win.
2024-04-06 18:20:46
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