Ludwigsburg's run of success ends with defeat against Sassari
After three wins in a row in all competitions, the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg have lost again. The German basketball club lost its home game in the Champions League against Banco di Sardegna Sassari by 79:89 (38:45) on Tuesday. It was the Swabians' second defeat in their third game in the group stage of the European Cup.
Ludwigsburg drained its first three threes and opened the encounter with a 10:2 run. At the other end, Sassari repeatedly got close to the basket and was superior in rebounding, with the result that Ludwigsburg's lead dwindled to one point at the break. The home side's shooting percentage from outside dropped in the second quarter and Ludwigsburg also lost possession more often. The Italian first-division club exploited that and went in at half-time with a 45:38 lead.
Ludwigsburg was more focused after the break and Jayvon Graves (22 points) was strong on the offensive rebound, yet the home side was not able to turn the game around in the third period. Sassari stretched its lead to 14 points at the start of the fourth quarter. Yorman Polas Bartolo (15 points) then put Ludwigsburg back in front with an 8:0 run and the German Basketball League club reduced the deficit to 79:82 in the final period, but was not able to get any closer.
Despite Ludwigsburg's initial 10-2 lead in the FIBA Basketball Champions League game, their shooting percentage from outside dropped and they lost possession more often, allowing Sassari to take a 45:38 lead at halftime. Regardless of Jayvon Graves' strong performance in the second half, Ludwigsburg could not catch up and eventually lost to Banco di Sardegna Sassari, further impacting their standing in the Champions League.
Source: www.dpa.com
