By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After beating host Croatia in the semifinals, Germany had to face the hottest team of the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Split.
Brazil had three wins by 20+ points until the final game, where the German national team got the 75-64 triumph and the ticket to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after a real dogfight.
Moritz Wagner with 28 points on 9/12 FG led the charge for the winning side, getting help from Robin Benzing (13 p.), Maodo Lo (10 p.), and Johannes Voightmann (8 p. 11 r.).
The Germans did it without having available Lakers guard Dennis Schroder for the qualifiers. Coach Henrik Rodl spoke about his absence following the game: “He was together with the team in the arena and his energy on the sidelines in Split helped us pull through with this qualification”.
Wagner had 20 points on 6/7 FG at the end of the third quarter with Germany leading 52-46. Brazil’s Alex Garcia with 10 points was the only other scorer in double digits until this point of the game.
The Germans got a quick nine-point lead (57-48) to start the fourth quarter, while the Brazilians couldn’t get closer than six points (62-56). On the contrary, the Germans led by 12 (72-60) getting the job done.
Veteran center Anderson Varejao had 14 points for the losing side. “We had our worst game at the worst time”, he said in the post-game press conference.