The Fitness First Würzburg Baskets won a turbulent game against Alba Berlin. A late run by Berlin seemed to turn the game around, but Marcus Carr sealed the deal shortly before the end. Würzburg won 96-92.
With six minutes to go, Davion Mintz had made it 88-81, but after that, not much went right for the hosts. Instead, Malte Delow and Norris Agbakoko turned the game around before the strong Jack Kayil (11 points, 10 assists) showed nerves at the free throw line and missed both attempts. On the other side, top scorer Marcus Carr (20 points, 9 assists) was there to put Würzburg on the road to victory from the three-point line with 24 seconds left. Delow’s three-pointer on the other side only hit the rim, and Mintz (19) sealed the deal from the line.
As in the previous season, this duel was fiercely contested. Berlin got off to a better start thanks to several three-pointers by Jonas Mattisseck (12), while Würzburg found success a little later with simple pick-and-rolls, which Alba defended very weakly. Time and again, the hosts’ centers scored easy points.
However, Würzburg did not play consistently enough, and foul problems for guards Brae Ivey, Mintz, and Johnathan Stove caused problems for the Mainfranken team. Mintz was on fire at times, but picked up his third foul with a technical foul when he shouted a few choice words at his opponent Mattisseck. Alba led 55-51 at the break, even though Würzburg made two-thirds of its shots.
Late Alba run countered by Carr
After the break, the hosts got their turnovers under control – and continued to make almost everything. They also defended more disciplined (without fouls), and that turned the game around. After Boogie Ellis (12, 3/10) was cleared by Thompson, David Muenkat (16) made a spectacular block, giving the Baskets their biggest lead of the game at that point (75-68) with two minutes left in the quarter. However, a few good plays by Martin Hermannsson (11) kept Alba within striking distance.
Nevertheless, Würzburg was now the better team. The tall, cold Ivey converted his first three-pointer, but immediately picked up his fifth foul. It was a minor setback, but shortly afterwards Muenkat brought the arena to fever pitch with an even better dunk over Delow. Nevertheless, the Baskets failed to seal the deal early on, and Berlin took the lead again with a layup by Ellis – it was an 11:2 run for the visitors, but also their last points.
Würzburg thus remains undefeated in the BBL and Champions League, while Berlin suffered its third defeat in its fourth game.
