"We should not rely on luck on winning games. It worked against Würzburg, but not today. It would not have been fair to have won this game this way today. They deserved to win", said a disappointed Head Coach Murat Didin. Frankfurt knew that this would not be any easy task today, but they started a bit flat. "Tübingen started better than we did. Usually when we start slow against teams, we have problems and that was evident today", said Jukka Matinen.
The OPEL SKYLINERS were always playing catch up ball in the first half. After the first quarter, Frankfurt was behind 25 to 15 and at half time the score was 47 to 34 for Tübingen. "We had problems recognizing their defensive setups and it took us longer to adjust. It should never take more than one or two offenses to adjust", said captain Pascal Roller. Another reason for the strong play of Tübingen was the play of their centers. Big guy German Tim Nees scored 13 points and hauled down six rebounds. "We allowed them to penetrate a lot inside and gave up a lot of offensive rebounds.The goal of any team is to attack under the basket. Today our big guys did not get the job done", said assistant coach Simon Cote.
In the second half, Frankfurt came back with more fire, but they could never take control of the game the way they would have liked. "They underestimated us.We knocked them off their rhythm and did not allow them to play their fast style", said American guard Brian Jones, who scored 7 points. Tübingen had a very balanced scoring attack. American Kevin Burleson had 13 points, Andreas Hornig chipped in with 13 off the bench and Reggie Okosa had 10 points. Tübingen surely surprised many with their high point total. "Against a team like Tübingen, one needs to play good defense. They scored almost 50 points by half time. That is simply to much", said Pascal Roller.
The strong defensive play by Tübingen was another reason why they could seal a victory. "We prepared all week to stop Chris Williams. We wanted to play very physical and play smart and in the end our defense carried us through to victory", said American Brian Jones. It worked in the first half as Chris Williams was held in check with only 3 points. "We played really hard today. We used enough brainpower to overcome a really good basketball team.We played great defense and dominated underneath the basket. We almost lost it today, but it was enough for the win", said guard Michael Nurse, who scored 10 points.
The OPEL SKYLINERS continue to struggle under the basket. Bernd Kruel left near the end of the first quarter with 4 fouls. Malick Badiane replaced him but managed only 1 point and six rebounds in 19 minutes. "Rebounding is about being strong. If you`re not strong you will not get the rebound.We need to fight better for position, the big guys have to play better and the others help out", said coach Murat Didin. Miroslav Todic and Hasan Özkan had some playing time but were ineffective.
The OPEL SKYLINERS once again were led by Mr. Franchise captain Pascal Roller with 21 points and Chris Williams rebounded from his poor first half by scoring 18 points. Spyro Panteliadis showed a great effort by coming off the bench and scoring 16 points. Panteliadis could have won the game at the end with a three pointer but came up short. "We had a chance at the end, but we should never have let it come down to the last second against a team like Tübingen. We need to beat a team like this more convincingly", said a sad Pascal Roller.
The OPEL SKYLINERS continue to play exceptionally well against the top teams and poorer against the lower ranked teams. The next opponent Artland Dragons will be a really tough test for Frankfurt. "The OPEL SKYLINERS have a new young team and the playoffs will be difficult for them, but they will find their way", said headcoach of Tübingen, Pat Elzie. The OPEL SKYLINERS travel to Quakenbrück on Saturday for a showdown against the fifth ranked team. Coach Didin will have to find a cure for Frankfurt´s current lackluster play in this week`s practice. After the bitter loss against Tübingen, a rapid turnaround against the Artland Dragons is more than likely. "We won´t have a letdown. We are not happy about this loss. We will be very hungry for the Artland Dragons", emphasized assistant coach Simon Cote. The OPEL SKYLINERS know too well that any more losses could determine whether they start the playoffs on the road or at home.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber reporting for the OPEL SKYLINERS
