The Fitness First Würzburg Baskets secured a 91:62 victory over Dziki Warschau in the FIBA Europe Cup on Wednesday evening at the tectake ARENA, claiming their fifth home win in a row in front of roughly 1,600 spectators. Würzburg controlled the match after launching a 15:2 run in the opening quarter to build a 30:16 lead, eventually stretching the margin past 30 points in the third period against a Polish side that entered the fixture undefeated.
Eddie Colbert III led all scorers with 17 points and added six steals for the hosts. Lukas Herzog contributed 14 points, Kenny Dye chipped in 12, and Calvin Wishart finished with 11 as Würzburg notched their highest season win while leading for 36 minutes of the contest.
How Würzburg Pulled Away From Warschau
Dziki Warschau arrived in Germany missing two key players in Zane Waterman and Krzysztof Kempa. The visitors utilized a fast-paced approach early on, taking three separate leads in the opening minutes behind baskets from Makai Ashton, Lukasz Frackiewicz, and Michal Krasuski. Kenny Dye and Eddie Colbert answered immediately each time to keep the home side level.
Colbert scored 15 of his 17 points during the first half, putting Würzburg ahead 8:6 at the four-minute mark with his second basket of the night. Sam Griffin followed with the game’s first three-pointer to make it 11:6, and Colbert extended the margin to 15:9 following a steal by Calvin Wishart. Although Warschau responded with five unanswered points to narrow the gap to 15:14 inside the seventh minute, Würzburg slammed the door before the first break.
Colbert and Max Jones hit back-to-back shots from beyond the arc to spark a 15:2 surge, capped by another three-pointer from Wishart that established a commanding 30:16 advantage after ten minutes.
Defense and Rebounding Secures the Margin
The second quarter proved more tightly contested as both teams combined for just 30 points. Würzburg leaned on defensive intensity to push their cushion to 20 points at 38:18 in the 14th minute. Colbert converted a three-pointer plus a bonus free throw in the 17th minute to stretch the lead to 44:24 before Warschau trimmed the deficit to 46:30 at halftime.
Headcoach Saša Filipovski used the interval to address his team’s focus, referencing a lapse 45 hours prior during a domestic BBL home win against NINERS Chemnitz, where Würzburg nearly squandered a 22-point advantage in the final period. The warning took hold immediately. Würzburg restricted the visitors to only 11 points in the third quarter while expanding their lead to 73:41.
Though Warschau opened the second half with three free throws from Krasuski to close within 48:35 in the 22nd minute, the deficit never dropped below 13 points thereafter. Würzburg dominated the glass after the intermission, winning the second-half rebound battle 30:15. The hosts converted 19 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points and finished the evening with 16 steals and 20 more total field goal attempts than their opponents.
Box Score and Individual Standouts
Würzburg shot 40 percent from the field compared to 31 percent for Warschau, while holding a 47-38 advantage in total rebounds. Turnovers also heavily favored the hosts, who committed 12 miscues against 20 by the visitors.
For Würzburg, Eddie Colbert III recorded 17 points, two three-pointers, and six steals. Lukas Herzog added 14 points with two triples, Kenny Dye scored 12, and Calvin Wishart contributed 11 points alongside three steals. Brandon Tischler added nine points, Leo Saffer and Sam Griffin scored six each, Alen Pjanic and Marvin Ogunsipe chipped in four apiece, Mark Petric had one, and Charles Thompson rounded out the roster.
Warschau’s efforts were led by Austin Luke with 14 points and three triples, Lukasz Frackiewicz with 14 points, and Osun Osunniyi with 10 points and three steals.
Post-Match Assessment and Upcoming Fixtures
Headcoach Saša Filipovski praised his squad’s collective effort in his post-match remarks. Congratulations to my players for a deserved win and many thanks to our fans for the support,
Filipovski said. It was a really good game from us. I am happy for my players and my coaching staff, because we have a really difficult schedule. We defended very well today, distributed the ball well, and played as a team. We were also able to rotate a lot and distribute the minutes well.
The schedule offers no rest for Würzburg. The team travels to face the Basketball Löwen Braunschweig on Saturday in easyCredit BBL play, before returning to the tectake ARENA on Monday, 2. November, at 19 Uhr to host Estonian side Tartu Ulikool Maks & Moorits in FIBA Europe Cup action.
