Chemnitz beats Frankfurt again after extra time.
The NINERS once again demonstrated their “crunchtime skills” on Friday evening and clinched their twelfth victory in the 18th Bundesliga game of the current season. However, the road to get there was anything but easy. Chemnitz was behind for a long time against the self-sacrificing FRAPORT SKYLINERS, but thanks to a strong final phase they were able to save themselves in extra time, where they then took the lead for the first time and ultimately celebrated a wafer-thin 87:86 win. With Mindaugas Susinkas (16 points), Frantz Massenat (15), Darion Atkins (12), Eric Washington (12) and Isiaha Mike (12), five players scored double digits, while Jonas Richter ended up with a strong defense against Frankfurt’s top scorer Jamel McLean (17) became the secret match winner.
After two months in front of a ghostly backdrop, 1,000 spectators were able to be there live on Friday, conjuring up an atmospheric atmosphere in the Chemnitz Exhibition Center from the very first minute. The NINERS themselves, on the other hand, had some teething problems. At the front the ball didn’t really run well through their own ranks and the right coordination was also lacking at the back, so that they quickly fell behind at 8:18. The first wake-up call came from captain Malte Ziegenhagen, who managed a trick throw from the middle line to the 17:20 connection with the break siren. However, Frankfurt stifled the small momentum right at the beginning of the second quarter and pulled away to 31:17 with three-point shots from ex-Chemnitz player Lukas Wank, Brancou Badio and Len Schormann. NINERS coach Rodrigo Pastore tried to shake his men up with a break and the “Orange Army” actually got into the game better now. First and foremost Isiaha Mike, who first hit from the perimeter and shortly afterwards crashed a reverse dunk through the ring. Frantz Massenat followed up from outside and Minde Susinskas brought Chemnitz up to 33:35 at half-time.
Atkins then equalized immediately after the break, but the SKYLINERS countered with two threes through BBL veteran Quantez Robertson. The supposed tiredness, Frankfurt had only just come out of a three-week forced break due to the corona, was little felt by the guests until then. Rather, they made the more alert impression, exploited the Chemnitz mistakes coldly and again set themselves apart by two digits (41:51). Jonas Richter and Eric Washington were still able to keep the NINERS in close contact at the end of the third quarter, so that the score was 49:57 in the final section. There, sniper Susinskas finally thawed out, bringing his team up to 61:62 with two threes. When is the trend reversal? thought. Frankfurt, meanwhile also handicapped by problems with fouls, showed enormous resilience and, mainly thanks to McLean, moved back up to 72:64.
Eight points difference with less than two and a half minutes remaining. The preliminary decision? think! Three-pointer Massenat, jumpshot Susinskas, layup Washington, and-one Massenat and then Susinskas again with his hand on his face from the perimeter. 77:77 equalization. Renewal. There the continuation of the dramatic head-to-head race. Seven lead changes in five minutes. Eric Washington got the last one 25 seconds before the end with two free throws to 87:86 for Chemnitz. Frankfurt got the ball again, but Jonas Richter didn’t allow the Euroleague-proven veteran Jamel McLean to throw any more and so the NINERS left the field as the happy winners after a real thriller.
COACH VOICES
Rodrigo Pastore (Chemnitz): “What a game and thanks to Diego Ocampo for the congratulations. Today was a very difficult match for us against an opponent with a lot of quality players. I can only congratulate the people of Frankfurt on how strong they came out of their enforced break and how impressively they fought here. They really made life very difficult for us today. I’m all the happier that we still found a way to win this game. In the fourth quarter we brought ourselves back with important offensive rebounds and some heavy throws. However, the game could just as well have gone the other way around. We have to try to be a bit more consistent in our performances, as a team, but also in terms of the individual performance of individual players. I still see room for improvement there, but I’m looking forward to continuing to work with this team and trying to make them a little better.”
Diego Ocampo (Frankfurt): “Congratulations to Chemnitz. The NINERS have been playing very well all season and they did it again today. But I also want to congratulate my players. It’s not just about winning or losing, it’s more about how you do things. Sometimes you do a lot right, but the opponent is just a bit better or, like today in Chemnitz, they succeed in a few important actions in the decisive phase. Nevertheless, today I am very proud of my team, how they performed here after two weeks in quarantine and only two real training sessions. The boys gave everything and also played very smart. Of course we will also find a few mistakes, without which we might have won today, but that’s part of the process. And it is my responsibility to develop the team even further. The team has been showing strength of character all season, especially coming back after injuries, Corona, etc. I am proud to be able to coach her and we will work hard again tomorrow to continuously improve.”
STATISTICS:NINERS Chemnitz vs. FRAPORT SKYLINERS 87:86 OT (17:20, 16:15, 16:22, 28:20, 10:9), 1,000 spectators
Susinskas (16 points), Massenat (15), Atkins (12), Mike (12), Washington (12), Richter (7), Wimberg (7), Ziegenhagen (3), Weidemann (2), Lockett (1)
DEADLINE:MLP Academics Heidelberg vs. NINERS Chemnitz, Saturday, February 5th, 2022, 8:30 p.m., SNP dome Heidelberg
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