TAMPERE (Finland) - Germany went on a third quarter tear to overcome Montenegro 106-76 in their Group B encounter in Tampere on Wednesday.
Both teams matched each other in the first half until Germany went on an offensive tear, with Dennis Schroder, Franz Wagner, and Andreas Obst stealing the show to seal the win.
Turning Point
After a closely fought first half, where the biggest lead for either team was eight points, you sensed that something had to give, especially down the stretch. Germany made the first move; going on a 7-0 run to take the first double-digit lead of the game at 55-45.
At the helm of that run was Andreas Obst, who hit four tough three-pointers in a 33-12 shutout in the third period with Wagner and Schroder bringing it home for the world champions.
TCL Player of the Game
Germany's Schroder led from the front, as the reigning FIBA Basketball World Cup MVP posted 21 points and 4 assists on 54 percent from the field in just a little over 21 minutes on the floor.
Supporting Schroder were Franz Wagner - who started aggressively and maintained his mentality - leading the winners with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while Obst added 18 on 5-for-6 shooting from three-point range.
Stats Don't Lie
Germany shot 45 percent from the field at half-time in a close contest. When the world champions made their move, their field goal percentage rose above 50 percent - including a staggering 70 percent from inside the arc.
But most telling of all, Germany's narrow 46-43 lead at the break led to a second-half onslaught, where the Germans outscored Montenegro 60-33.
Bottom Line
A good start for Germany, as they prepare to face-off against Sweden on Friday. The trio of Schroder, Wagner and Obst were in top form as they powered clear in the third quarter to avoid any early difficulties.
Montenegro were unable to match the intensity of their counterparts as they now regroup ahead of their next game against Lithuania, who began their campaign with a win over Great Britain. Nikola Vucevic finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, and his side may need even more from their star man.
They Said
"We expected a tough game, because the first game in the tournament is always tough. It's a good Montenegro team, and I expect them to get better as the tournament progresses.
"We focused on us, we played pretty good offense, first half, had some good shots, but defensively there was room to improve, that's what we did in the second half, and we played our pace." - Alan Ibrahimagic, Germany assistant coach.
"It was a good start for us. First half, we struggled a bit on defense, but we knew what we had to do and how we could adjust. Offensively, we were fine in the first half, second half, we just got stops, we run, we play our game, and we enjoyed playing with each other." - Andreas Obst, Germany.
"Nothing to say. 20 minutes for [first] half was pretty good for us. We were in the game, he was playing well both [ends], and nothing. After the second half, a lot of my players stayed in the locker room. They just stopped playing basketball, stopped playing defense, and stopped playing offense." - Bosko Radovic, Montenegro head coach.
"We had a good first half, we stayed in the game on both ends, but we switched off in the second half, especially in the third quarter.
"But in the tournament, we must keep our heads up." - Igor Drobnjak, Montenegro.
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA