BerlinAlba Berlin suffered their first defeat in the fifth game of the basketball division. The tired and weakened German champions lost on Tuesday evening to last year’s finalist MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg with 71:78 (34:31). For Alba it was the fourth away game in eight days. The best Berlin throwers were Peyton Siva with 13 and captain Niels Giffey with twelve points.
Coach Aito Garcia Reneses had to do without the injured trio Ben Lammers, Simone Fontecchio and Marcus Eriksson again. Both teams had problems on the offensive, which was mainly due to the very consistent defensive work of the teams. It took Alba almost five minutes to even score the first points. The Berliners were initially behind, but came into the game better towards the end of the first quarter and took the lead for the first time at 14:13.
But the Berliners initially hit nothing beyond the three-point line – otherwise one of their strengths. Only in the 15th attempt did Tim Schneider hit with a throw from distance. But Ludwigsburg also had a hard time, Alba stayed with it. With an 8-0 run just before the break, the guests even took the lead at half time.
After the break, both teams made some gains. The fresher hosts moved away in the middle of the third quarter to 44:38. But Alba could not be shaken off. Almost four and a half minutes before the end, Niels Giffey equalized again (66:66). But that evening, the throwing quota of the Berliners was simply too weak. Although they fought to the end, they lacked strength in the end.
–
