The second semi-final ends with the unexpected victory of the Germans of Bonn, who play an impeccable game putting the hosts in crisis, able to recover after almost expired time. The worst game for 3-point percentage for Malaga, who stubbornly never finds rhythm in shooting (7/34). As for the singles, they hurt Perry with only 12 points, while Brizuela saved the first half with 12 final points. For Bonn needless to say the usual Shorts and Hawkins with 34 points in two, as well as a good Delany.
First Quarter
The match begins at a fast pace and with a heated challenge between TJ Shorts and Kendrick Perry. Both teams try in every way to take advantage of the open pitch and some lack of attention from their opponents, but the level is really high and great plays are needed to score.
After 6′ the result is 17-11 for Malaga which is really full of solutions and, as if that weren’t enough, with the bedlam of the fans to charge them. The Spaniards in defense are compact and manage to recover even 3 balls in a short time, while the greater physicality guarantees them the dominance of rebounds. In this way you ensure more shots than your opponents.
For Bonn, Hawkins and Shorts will take care of keeping their team up with good individual plays: the first quarter ends 22-22.
Second Quarter
The German team continues to score from beyond the 3-point line and with great patience fills the gap and overcomes the favorites up to 22-26 with 8′ from the end. Unicaja is in a moment of rest, where in attack they succeed very little and the two consecutive turnovers (first with Thomas then with Dedovic) do not reassure, while in defense they are unable to have solidity. Perry tries to unblock the situation with a triple from the front, but in the defensive end it continues to struggle to mark Shorts, who continues his raids.
The situation didn’t change and Bonn took advantage of it to recover some balls and go up by 7 lengths on 31-38 with 2′ to go.
Finish 31-41 the first half.
Third fourth
In the second half we continue with the register of the first half up to 6 ‘from the end of the fraction when Malaga seems to unlock itself by returning 6 lengths down on 42-48, but the German rivals continue to make no mistakes unlike the bad night of Unicaja over the line of 6.75 (4/20).
In the defensive half of the field, Malaga is unable to cope with the ductility of coach Iisalo’s players, able to open the field and more and more active than the hosts, even in rebounding where they have clearly fewer centimeters and kilos. However there is still a game: 50-57 at the end of the third quarter.
bedroom bedroom
In the fourth quarter the cards on the table change. Malaga regains confidence gradually and restarts from excellent defenses that begin to shake the mental balance that had been established among the Germans. False alarm, because 3′ from the end it is Bonn who has the ball in hand at 58-64 and an excellent defense, obviously also conditioned by the bad percentages of the Spaniards.
In a daring final Perry holds the winning triple, but misses and in the end Bonn comes out the winner, which will go to the final against Hapoel.