Gießen 46Ers Beat Nürnberg Falcons 83-57 Without Cooks and Carter

The Gießen 46ers secured an 83-57 victory over the Nürnberg Falcons on Friday night at the Osthalle, despite playing without two key rotation players.

Gießener Allgemeine reported the final score and attendance figures, noting that 2,714 spectators witnessed the contest.

Robin Benzing led the hosts with 17 points, while Daniel Norl added 16 points. The victory improved Gießen’s standing ahead of their upcoming road match against Essen.

Head coach “Frenki” Ignjatovic pointed to defensive adjustments as the catalyst for the outcome. “Unser Plan war, ihnen nicht so viele Dreier zu geben,” Ignjatovic told Gießener Allgemeine, explaining that limiting Nürnberg’s perimeter scoring shaped the game.

The defining stretch arrived after halftime when Gießen outscored Nürnberg 25-7 in the third period. That surge turned a tight 41-34 halftime advantage into a commanding lead.

Nürnberg coach Tim Black acknowledged the lopsided frame after the final buzzer. “Ich weiß nicht, ob wir im dritten Viertel überhaupt mitgespielt haben,” Black told Gießener Allgemeine regarding his team’s collapse during those ten minutes.

Before the break, physical play set an early tone when Luis König Figge blocked Jarne Jürgens. Scantlebury later capitalized on a fastbreak, and Benzing scored five straight points to push the margin into double digits at 41-28.

Gießen managed the fixture without the ill Zach Cooks and the knee-injured Chris Carter. Ignjatovic used an eight-man rotation that kept most players under 30 minutes on the floor, with Nigel Scantlebury serving as the lone exception.

Ignjatovic challenged Cooks to learn from Scantlebury’s defensive impact during his absence. “Hoffentlich hat Cooks gut beobachtet und gesehen, dass man auch ohne viele Punkte großen Einfluss auf ein Spiel haben kann,” Ignjatovic told Gießener Allgemeine.

Norl contributed his 16 points while managing knee discomfort. “Meine Performance heute war wichtig, um dem Team an einem Wochenende mit zwei Spielen viel Selbstvertrauen zu geben,” Norl told Gießener Allgemeine.

Gießen travels to face Essen on Sunday at 16:00 local time. The team will evaluate Cooks’ availability on Saturday following discussions regarding his recovery from an infection.