An unexpectedly easy task for Arconic-Alba Fehérvár, flawless in its last five matches, at the home of Falco-Volvo Alpok Autó KC Szombathely in the quarter-finals of the Hungarian Cup. The team from Székesfehérvár was last able to win in Szombathely in Arena Savaria in 2022, where no Hungarian team has been able to leave with a victory since March 2023.
The match started with four missed threes – two here, two there – until Matt Tiby broke the deadlock with a penalty kick. After that, the two teams went head-to-head, until not more than four minutes before the end, Máté Balogh scored a successful three-pointer, then a close one, so Alba already went ahead by five, 8-13. However, by the end of the half, Falco rallied and turned the score from 16-19 in one minute with Zoltán Perl’s two-pointer and Marcell Pongó’s three-pointer, so the sides could go to the break with a score of 21-19.
In the second set, Alba was able to equalize right away, but after 29-25, the people of Szombathely went on a 5-0 run, 34-25. The people of Székesfehérvár were unable to convert after that, and were even stuck at 29, thanks to which the home team was able to present a 12-0 run, 47-29. The visitors were then boosted by Jordan Barnett with a three-pointer, then James Dickey contributed with a two-pointer, but it was only enough to reduce the 18-point deficit to 14 at halftime, which ended with a score of 54-40.
After the break, Falco immediately started with a three-pointer, and although Dávid Vojvoda brought Alba closer with four, the home team added another seven points to their advantage after the score was 57-44. Almost nothing came together for the Székesfehérvár team, since first Perl and then Pongó missed a three-pointer, but they couldn’t take advantage of this to catch up. Moreover, by the end of the quarter, the difference was already 26, which Barnett was able to reduce to 23 with a two-pointer and a sold penalty, 79-56.
In the last ten minutes, Alba started well again, first Chambers, then Barnett made a successful three-pointer, and Balogh also made a close one, so the difference was only 15, 81-66. Szombathely drew strength from this, did not let the match out of their hands, and with a 12-0 period they increased their advantage to 27, 93-66. At the end of the meeting, Barnett made a successful three-pointer, so the game went to the guests, but Falco still had a confident 95-73 victory over Arconic-Alba Fehérvár, so the team from Székesfehérvár bid farewell to the quarterfinals of the Hungarian Cup.
In the match, Falco’s Zoltán Perl was the most successful with 22 points, while Alba’s Jordan Barnett scored 18.
Protocol:
Falco-Volvo Alpok Auto Szombathely – Arconic-Alba Fehérvár 95-73 (21-19, 33-21, 25-16, 16-17)
Szombathely, Arena Savaria
Led by: Tamás Benczur, Rúben Györfy, Gábor Farkas (dr. Péter János Gincsai)
Szombathely: Pot 6, Tanoh Dez -, Benke 15/9, Tiby 9, Keller Á. 8. Substitution Kovács 3/3, Krivacevic 3, Verasztó -, Barac 4, Perl 22/3, Jordano 11/9, Pongó 14/9. Head coach: Milos Konokov
Alba Fehérvár: Chambers 12/3, Kass -, Barnett 18/9, Philmore 4, Dickey 7. Replacement: Fazekas -, Takács Mi. -, Balogh 14/6, Roberts 6, Vojvoda 12/3. Head coach: Alejandro Zubillaga