Hagen.
Despite strong fan support, Phoenix Hagen loses the NRW derby at the Düsseldorf Giants. The catch-up in the last quarter comes too late.
Delivered after three wins in a row Phoenix Hagen in the NRW derby at the Düsseldorf Giants a modest performance. The basketball players from Volmestadt could not catch up with the mortgage from an underground first half, which the state capitals won 52:37. Newcomer Düsseldorf achieved a deserved 100:92 victory on the 23rd matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga ProA. In any case, it wasn’t due to the fan support: more than 200 Hagen supporters who traveled with them made the game in Düsseldorf’s Castello their home game.
Poor start to the game again
As expected, Düsseldorf was offensively strong. After a quick 2-0 lead through Kyle Castlin, the Giants managed a 12-0 run (12-2/4). For the third time in the past four games, Hagen was eight or more points behind after just a few minutes. When Chris Rollins converted a layup to make it 33:16 in the 12th minute, the game’s highest lead up to that point was achieved. Led by captain Marcel Keßen, Phoenix put on a 11:5 series that made the loud Hagen supporters cheer and hope (38:27), but they didn’t get any closer until half-time.
Unusual: Phoenix allowed themselves four step mistakes in the first 20 minutes and nine turnovers in total. Aaron Thompson was responsible for four of them. The attentive Ryan Richmond stole the ball from him just a few seconds before half-time, was then fouled by Keßen and increased it to 52:37 from the free-throw line.
Exciting last quarter
Phoenix Hagen is familiar with catching up this season. It didn’t look like it for a long time, because Düsseldorf confidently held its lead and was still ahead 71:53 in the 29th minute, but the Hagen team got going in the last quarter. Above all, top scorer Kyle Castlin turned up the heat and scored two threes in a row to make it 74:68 (33rd). Lorenz Bank, who played a really strong game, also set impulses in crunch time. Everything seemed to be back in place in a game where little was going on for the guests.
But Düsseldorf had – similar to the first leg – its outstanding players in Coplin and Richmond, who successfully resisted a turn in Hagen. When Richmond sunk his second consecutive long-range shot in the 35th minute, the Giants were back down 86-74. You couldn’t get closer than six points. The Hagen team lost the game in the first half when too many Phoenix players took bad shots and the dangerous Düsseldorf scorers couldn’t get a grip on them.
Phoenix: Thompson (6, 7 assists, 5 turnovers), Kraushaar (8), Cikara, Iloanya, Keßen (19, 8 rebounds), Omuvwie (1), Vaara, Mann (13, 7 rebounds), Uhlemann, Castlin (21, 6 assists), Bank (20), Krause (4).
More articles from this category can be found here: Sport in Hagen, Breckerfeld, Wetter and Herdecke
