Desolate Alba suffers surprising home defeat
Alba Berlin has conceded its first home defeat in the German Basketball League. After a very weak performance, the Berliners surprisingly lost at home to Mitteldeutscher BC by 75:108 (37:57) in front of 8244 spectators. It was the MBC's first ever win in the capital - at the 19th attempt. Berlin's best scorer was Yanni Wetzell with 21 points, while Chris-Ebou Ndow scored 23 for the MBC.
Head Coach Israel Gonzalez had to do without the experienced duo of Matt Thomas (foot injury) and Sterling Brown (knee ligament injury). World champion Johannes Thiemann was also given a break. In contrast to Alba, the visitors were wide awake from the outset. Berlin lacked the necessary intensity in defense and also conceded too many offensive rebounds to the MBC.
As a result, Alba trailed from the outset. There was hardly anything going on in offense against the very physical visitors from Weißenfels. There were many technical mistakes, hardly any pace and many missed shots. As a result, only one three-pointer out of ten attempts found its way into the basket. And the MBC punished that ice-cold, opening up a 20-point lead at half-time after a 22:4 run against a now desolate Berlin side.
Anyone expecting Berlin to stage a great comeback after the break was disappointed. The home side was hardly able to do anything against the visitors, who played themselves into a frenzy. The deficit had even grown to 27 points in the third quarter (51:78). Alba then achieved almost nothing in the final period.
Despite Alba Berlin's star players Matt Thomas and Sterling Brown being out due to injuries, the Central German BC capitalized on their opportunity and handed ALBA Berlin its first Bundesliga loss at home with a score of 108:75. In lieu of a strong performance from ALBA Berlin, ALBA Berlin's best scorer, Yanni Wetzell, scored 21 points, but it wasn't enough to prevent ALBA Berlin's surprising defeat in their home court, where Bundesliga champions ALBA Berlin typically excels.
Source: www.dpa.com
