The BG Göttingen missed the third win in a row. At the Hakro Merlins Crailsheim the team of BG head coach Roel Moors lost 77:89 (29:48) on Friday evening. Spectators were not allowed in the Arena Hohenlohe. The Bundesliga basketball team from southern Lower Saxony had a very bad first half and found neither offensively nor defensively in the game. In the second half the guests caught up and started a race to catch up, but the gap was no longer less than six points. The best violet player was Tai Odiase with a double-double (22 points / 12 rebounds). For Crailsheim, who took their third win in their third game, Trae Bell-Haynes scored the most (29 points).
The Veilchen quickly took the lead thanks to a tip-in-dunk from Odiase, but didn’t really get into the game. Up to the fourth minute, the guests kept up with the Merlins (8: 9), but got offensive but no rhythm. In almost five minutes, the BG only got three more points, while Crailsheim pulled away to 11:26 (9th). Up to the end of the quarter it was 15 points behind (14:29).
In the second section, too, the attack did not get any better with the violets. The Göttingen team had to wait until the 14th minute before Odiase scored the first points of the section for his team (17:36). The BG managed to catch up and did not let the gap become even bigger. With a 7-0 run, the Moors troop worked their way up to 26:40 against the magicians (19th). But before half time the home side stepped up the gas again, at break it was 29:48.
Violets show fighting spirit
After the break, the BG showed that they had not yet given up the game. Led by Jorge Gutiérrez, the Südniedersachsen put a 9-0 run to 38:48 (23rd). The Mexican builder also hit the first violet three of the game. Aubrey Dawkins converted the second long-range goal a short time later and made the deficit go single-digit again for the first time since the first quarter (43: 52/25.). The hosts resisted, however, and gained some breathing space with two threes at 43:58 (26th). In the violets, Luke Nelson took over, scoring twelve points in the last four minutes of the section and bringing his team closer to 57:65 (30th).
In the last quarter, the Göttingen team gave it their all and reduced it to 62:68 (32nd) with Galen Robinson Jr. and a three-point game by Weidemann. The violets then had the opportunity to get closer a few times, but gave them away. Odiase in particular was always searched for, but was consistently doubled under the basket by the home side in this phase and thus decisively disturbed. On the other hand, the Merlins could rely on their top scorer Bell-Haynes, who was there in important phases (66: 77/35.).
Gutiérrez replied with four points in a row to make it 70:77, but shortly afterwards got his fifth foul and was so annoyed that he was also given a technical foul. Crailsheim used this to make the gap double-digit again (72: 82/39.). The guests then ran out of time and the game was lost.
“We only played basketball for 20 minutes and we couldn’t control Bell-Haynes. I didn’t recognize my team in the first half, “said Moors, while Tuomas Iisaloe, head coach of the Merlins, was satisfied:” It’s nice to see how we can win a game against an opponent of such quality. An incredible first half for us, with a very strong defense and good ball movement in the offense. “
– .
