After a closely contested start, Alba Berlin really stepped up a gear against Phoenix Hagen. Pedro Calles’s team, in particular, didn’t put a foot wrong after half-time and celebrated a convincing 102–72 victory.
Alba Berlin put Phoenix Hagen firmly in their place with a 102–72 victory. After a closely contested first half, Pedro Calles’s side pulled away, thanks largely to a dominant third quarter, and gave the visitors no further chance. Jordan Ford was Berlin’s top scorer with 18 points, followed by Joe Wieskamp (16) and Sam Griesel (14).
Hagen had initially kept up well, however. Trenton Gibson made his mark early on with his drives, whilst Bjarne Kraushaar organised the visitors’ play. After ten minutes, the score was 26–26, before Alba gradually took control in the second quarter and built a nine-point lead at half-time with a 30–21 quarter.
Alba pull away after the break
After the break, the Berliners stepped up a gear once again. Wieskamp scored near the basket, Griesel hit from outside, and Julius Böhmer provided one of the highlights with a steal followed by a dunk. The lead grew steadily from 69–51 to 78–53; by the 30-minute mark, with the score at 83–58, the game was effectively decided.
The hosts’ efficiency was particularly striking. Alba converted 55 per cent of their field goals (39/71), hit an impressive 46 per cent from the three-point line (15/33) and dished out 25 assists. Hagen managed just 36 per cent from the field (25/69) and struggled to find solutions against Berlin’s tenacious defence.
Ford shines from outside – Hagen with no answer
Alba continued to set the pace in the final quarter. Ford scored his third three-pointer from as many attempts, whilst Malte Delow and Jonas Mattisseck added to the tally from distance. By the time Richard Schmitt and Böhmer broke the 100-point mark with two further three-pointers, the comfortable home victory was finally sealed. For Hagen, Gibson fought hard to prevent defeat with 19 points, whilst Kraushaar contributed eight points and eight assists.