The Skyliners from Frankfurt remain the team of the moment. The Hessians secured another victory at Science City Jena, even though it was a hard-fought contest for much of the match.
Frankfurt had won seven of their previous eight matches going into this game, and this team now exudes a certain air of confidence, which was evident in Jena too. For the most part, it was the hosts who were in the lead, but after the break the visitors’ defence stepped up and the Skyliners then made enough shots to secure the away win.
For Jena, new point guard London Perrantes (15 points, 6 assists) got off to a flying start, whilst another playmaker, Isaiah Moses, was ruled out of the squad as the seventh foreign player. The attack looked very promising at first, however, with the Thuringians creating plenty of open three-pointers and, initially, converting them very well, particularly through Tanner Stuckman (14 points).
For Frankfurt, Judah Mintz (20, 6/11 FG) was virtually unstoppable at first, but Frankfurt seemed to be lacking a bit of bite in defence following their Euroleague gala against Cluj. The visitors trailed by as many as seven points, but were then able to rely once again on their strong guards. By half-time, it was Isaiah Swope (14) who brought his side back into the game, but Jena took a narrow half-time lead (53–50) with a 6–0 run.
Skyliners more focused after the break
After the break, however, both teams cooled off noticeably (each shooting around 50 per cent from three-point range) and the Skyliners won this quarter rather lacklustrely by 14–8.
After the break, however, both teams’ shooting cooled off noticeably (each around 50 per cent from three-point range), and the Skyliners won this quarter rather lacklustrely by 14–8. That changed again in the final quarter. Nahiem Alleyne (13) sank two three-pointers in quick succession, whilst Jena countered with seven consecutive points from Terrence Edwards Jr. (13). Frankfurt, however, had more options; Till Pape (12, 10 rebounds) also came to life a little, and when his frontcourt partner Race Thompson (11) sank a three-pointer with 2:30 minutes remaining on the clock, the game felt as good as over.
Both teams are back in action as early as Sunday, as this was a rescheduled match from Matchday 6. Jena are away at Bamberg, whilst the Skyliners host their EuroCup rivals from Rostock.