Quarter-Finals preview: Ironi Nahariya v Telekom Baskets

NAHARIYA (FIBA Europe Cup) - Telekom Baskets dominated the first leg of the FIBA Europe Cup Quarter-Final tie against Ironi Nahariya and have now been left with what seems like a formal task of sealing the deal in Israel.

Never in the club's history have the Bonn side reached the Semi-Final stage of an international competition, but that is likely to change. Having celebrated an 89-68 victory in the first meeting, confidence will be flying sky-high in the Predrag Krunic-coached squad.

Overwhelmed by the tough defense demonstrated by the German club at the Telekom Dome, Ironi Nahariya will be better prepared this time around, but the 21-point handicap will make the situation difficult to salvage.

"We started the first game in shock. The shock was the intensity of their defense. Bonn played very aggressive," said the Israeli side's head coach Eric Elfasi. "We took a lot from that game and we'll need to make better decisions on the offensive end. We will try to change our game, but it will be difficult to beat Bonn."

The different levels of intensity were exemplified by Telekom Baskets outrebounding Ironi Nahariya 33-21, with Bonn big man Julian Gamble posting his best game of the season with a double-double of 25 points and 14 boards.

The German side have perhaps the deepest roster in the competition, with coach Krunic having a wide array of options available on the bench – 11 players on the team are averaging at least 15 minutes of playing time per game.

To make matters even more complicated for the Ironi Nahariya frontcourt, the towering Telekom Baskets center Filip Barovic also returned to action after a long time on the sidelines with a broken thumb.

"I think our good defense was the key to the game. We came out very aggressively. But we have to protect our lead and I hope we manage to keep our intensity, because Ironi Nahariya are a much stronger team at home," said power forward Johannes Richter.

Although their win-loss record in the Basketball Champions League was just marginally better at home, Ironi Nahariya showed just how dangerous they can be on their home floor against Gaziantep in the Round of 16, when they posted a 96-75 win before going on to lose by 15 points in Turkey.

In the three games played in the FIBA Europe Cup, Derwin Kitchen has been the most consistent all-around contributor, averaging 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, with Nick Faust, Jonathan Skjoldebrand and Yancy Gates also playing important roles.

Having not taken part in the two games against Gaziantep, Brian Hopson was arguably the best Ironi Nahariya player in the first leg against Telekom Baskets, collecting 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field in 36 minutes of playing time at the Telekom Dome.

FIBA