By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Germany defeated Turkey 68-66 in a very exciting game and won the Supercup tournament in Hamburg! Each of the teams had a half that they controlled. The Turks got an impressive start, were leading 10-29 in the first 10 minutes and took the point difference up to 22 (32-10), mostly due to their accuracy in shots from the perimeter.
The home team responded toward the end of the second period with Schaffartzik showing the way, scoring 14 points with 4 three-pointers that took the score to 33-47 at half-time. Up to that point Ataman’s team had 9/17 three-point field goals (5/7 for Melih), but everything changed when the game resumed and Turkey tallied 0/12 from the three-point line!
The third period was characterised by missed shots and effective defense. With a separate score of 17-6, Germany got themselves to a three-point deficit (50-53). With Ilyasova providing solutions the visitors widened the gap once again with a 9-point lead (50-59), but then came the final counterattack. With a 15-6 streak and a three-pointer by Benzing 47 seconds before the end, Germany tied the game 65-65 and with their next possession went ahead (67-65) with a dunk by Pleiss. With 1/2 free throws Schaffartzik took it to 68-65. Bobby Dixon got a couple of free throws, missed the second, but Benzing got the defensive rebound and the Germans celebrated a 68-66 win.
The best player for the winners was Heiko Schaffartzik with 19 points and 7 assists, Pleiss was solid with 14 points without missing a shot (7/7) and Benzing was decisive in the second half (13 points). Dirk Nowitzki was not on a good day and scored only 1 point with 0/4 shots.
For Turkey, Erden and Melih scored 17 points each but were “quiet” in the second half, Ilyasova got a double-double (14 points/10 rebounds) and Aldemir got 11.