By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Telekom Baskets Bonn has already clinched first place in Group B of the Basketball Champions League regular season but that didn’t stop them from finishing the stage with a statement performance.
Bonn crushed Reggio Emilia 90 – 66 on the road and eliminated them from the competition. Ironically, the Italian side was the only team to beat Bonn this season and it seems that the latter were in a serious vengeance mode.
This result also sent Pinar Karsiyaka to the Play-In despite a loss to AEK Athens.
Leon Kratzer led a balanced Bonn offense (five players in double figures) with 16 points on 8-11, while grabbing nine rebounds. TJ Shorts was everywhere with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists to make up for his 5-14 from the field, Deanne Williams added 12 points of his own, Finn Delaney posted 11 points plus seven boards while Karsten Tadda dropped 10 points.
Michele Vitali (17 points, seven assists), Arturs Strautins (15 points, five rebounds) and Mikael Hopkins (11 points, eight rebounds) were the top contributors from a Reggio Emilia squad that collapsed down the stretch and was overpowered 11 – 27 in the fourth period.
Bonn entered the game hot to lead 15 – 23. While Reggio Emilia balanced things out to close halftime down 40 – 44, they never managed to even tie the game to get the psychological boost that comes with it. In the meantime, the visiting side pulled away by double figures after the break when Leon Kratzer scored to make it 45 – 56.
Reggio Emilia tried to come back but Bonn saved the best for last: A 2-13 run in the fourth quarter and a dynamic finish that turned the entire affair into a blowout.