After strong home leg, Bnei Herzliya looking to close the deal in Poland
OSTROW WIELKOPOLSKI (FIBA Europe Cup) - The recipient of the final ticket to the FIBA Europe Cup Qualifying Round 2 will be decided in Poland, with BM Slam Stal looking to overcome a double-digit deficit against Bnei Herzliya in Ostrow Wielkopolski after losing the first leg on the road in Israel.
Having celebrated an 84-74 victory at the Hyuvel Hall in Herzliya on Sunday, coach Mickey Gorka's side will be carrying a 10-point advantage into the second meeting between the teams.
"We protected our home court and executed our game plan on both ends of the floor. Now, we're looking forward to the next game against Ostrow. We will do everything we need to take that next step as a team," said the game's leading scorer Shawn Dawson, who scored 22 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 3 shots.
Portuguese representatives FC Porto will be monitoring the action in Ostrow Wielkoposlki particularly closely, as they will match up with the winner in the next phase of the competition.
"It was a very important win for us and I'm proud of my players, but we're still facing an away game."Bnei Herzliya head coach Mickey Gorka
While not marginal, Bnei Herzliya's lead is also not large enough for the Israeli side to relax, heading into a tough environment at the home of last year's Polish league bronze medalists.
"It was a very important win for us and I'm proud of my players, but we're still facing an away game. A win would put us through to the next stage," the head coach of the team Mickey Gorka warned.
According to the BM Slam Stal head coach Emil Rajkovic, there is no debating that Bnei Herzliya were the better team in the first leg, pointing out their 14-of-28 shooting from beyond the arc and a sizable rebounding edge as the areas that need to be addressed.
"They played better than us, especially in terms of three-point shooting and offensive rebounds," offered the Polish team's playcaller. "It's still not over. I hope we will play better and learn from our mistakes."
The second leg of the tie BM Slam Stal and Bnei Herzliya will complete the field for the Qualification Round 2, with the remaining nine ties in the Qualification Round 1 reaching a conclusion either on Tuesday or Wednesday.
FIBA
