Germany Cruise To Win Over Luxembourg
Germany eased to a comfortable victory in Nordlingen, taking an 80-36 win over Luxembourg to open their account in FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 Qualifiers Group D.
NORDLINGEN (FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 Qualifiers) - Germany eased to a comfortable victory in Nordlingen, taking an 80-36 win over Luxembourg to open their account in FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 Qualifiers Group D.
Turning Point: After a frantic first minute, the home team were able to slow things down and keep Luxembourg from making a field goal for the next five minutes. The lead was already in double figures by then, and the hosts did not look back.
Stats Don't Lie: Germany had a massive edge on the boards, grabbing more rebounds on the offensive glass than their opponents had overall (19-18). The resulting 23-0 advantage in second-chance points was a large part of the difference between the teams.
Game Heroes: Coach Bastian Wernthaler was able to use his whole roster, with 10 players playing at least 13 minutes and logging a field goal. Margret Skuballa was one of five players to notch double figures, ending with a game-high 14 points and seven rebounds. Svenja Greunke and Svenja Brunckhorst added 12 points apiece.
The Bottom Line: Germany stay at home, moving on to Wasserburg to take on the defending EuroBasket Women champions Serbia, who are reeling after a defeat in Ukraine earlier on Saturday. Victory for the German team would see them move level with their visitors. Luxembourg host Ukraine on Wednesday.
FIBA