Ukraine Blow Lead But Find Way To Beat Germany
Ukraine blew a double-digit lead as Germany discovered a way to slow Alina Iagupova in the second half, but the visitors were still able to eek out a 66-64 win on the road and move to 2-0 in Group D.
MUNICH (FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 Qualifiers) - Ukraine blew a double-digit lead as Germany discovered a way to slow Alina Iagupova in the second half, but the visitors were still able to eek out a 66-64 win on the road and move to 2-0 in Group D of the EuroBasket Women 2017 Qualifiers.
Turning Point: Iagupova had 19 points in the first half, helping Ukraine build a lead which was 39-27 when Anna Olkhovyk hit a three-pointer with 5:15 to go until the break. But Iagupova had only three points in the second half, and Germany capitalised to lead 64-62 when Lea Mersch split a pair of free throws with 2:39 to go. However, those were their last points of the game as they missed their last four shots, allowing Ukraine to snatch it with a pair of baskets from Olesia Malashenko.
Stats Don't Lie: Ukraine may have missed their last 10 three-point attempts as Germany raced back into contention, but they hit 9-of-26 from beyond the arc compared to just 1-of-5 for Germany.
Game Hero: Iagupova may have gone cold in the second half, but her 22 points were the most of any player on the court and she added seven rebounds and three assists.
Bottom Line: While Ukraine are sitting pretty at 2-0 in the group, Germany have dropped to 0-2 and will hope to find Luxembourg - who have suffered heavy losses in their opening two games - more accommodating opponents in February.
FIBA