After the massive home win over the SBB Baskets, the EPG Baskets didn´t have to have the pressure and stress to follow it up again soon after, simply because the Fiba Break was in the way. This allowed the EPG Baskets Koblenz who had lost 5 of their last 7 games to recharge their batteries and focus on the game plan ahead. With only 1 win away from the playoff spots, the team had 2 must wins in the next 3 games against the RheinStars and Paderborn, but didn´t have a cake walk with Cologne, because they were in 12th place and also in striking range of the playoffs. The RheinStars arrived into the game having won 2 of their last 3 games and had also lost 2 bitter nail bitters to Paderborn and Bremerhaven. Koblenz had to be wide awake for this next tough challenge and as usual played well for a half, but couldn´t keep up with the RheinStars who kept the pressure on and averaged 30 points in the first 3 quarters to secure the 113-96 shoot out win over the EPG Baskets Koblenz. “It was an offensive fire works from both teams. It was a physical game where we had to hit a lot of tough shots. We were well prepared and were able to match the physicality and were carried by vital Hujic shots”, stressed ex Frankfurt Skyliner Maxi Begue. The EPG Baskets Koblenz had another dismal defensive performance and proved that even when they have a strong offensive game, it isn´t always enough to pull out a victory. “Defense was a problem tonight. Our pick and roll defense was bad. Our 1-1 defense wasn´t good either. They moved the ball the way that they wanted to. We simply had no control on defense”, stressed EPG Baskets Koblenz guard Aleksa Kovacevic.

Julian Larry from downtown

The EPG Baskets Koblenz were complete and had a solid start as their offense found a good rhythm right away. The ball movement was strong which led to 5 points by Ohio native Tim Smith Jr and 5 points by ex G-League player DJ Jeffries who had a trey and dunk for the quick 11-6 lead. On the pretty dunk by Jeffries, Calvin Wishart who is known for his overall stellar play especially his scoring also displayed his passing in his bag of tricks. He unleashed a pretty over the head pass in Larry Bird manner. “That was a strong pass. It looked like Larry Bird”, smiled EPG Baskets Koblenz sport director Thomas Klein. Koblenz played fast which the RheinStars couldn´t match early and didn´t allow second chances. Their defense was solid and they continued to execute at ease on offense getting baskets from Wishart and a trey by 2018 NBBL champion Badu Buck for the 21-12 Koblenz lead. Everything was working for Koblenz, but then came the turning point of the game where one player maimed the EPG Baskets mentality with Haris Hujic (193-SG-1997, agency: LUMANI 10.7). He scored 11 unanswered points as suddenly the RheinStars led 23-21. “We began slow. I hit some big three´s and woke my boys up. Then we executed our game plan the way we wanted to”, stressed Haris Hujic. Often in the past when one opponent gets hot, it has hurt Koblenz´s mentality to where they totally switch off all engines. “When one guy gets hot, we have to be able to stop other guys. We couldn´t do that through the course of the game”, warned Tim Smith Jr. Koblenz stopped the run and then got some three´s from ex Munster guard Julian Larry and from Buck again to lead 29-28 after 10 minutes. “We saw a wild west show at both ends of the court from us. When you know what a Hujic is capable of doing, you can´t let him get off like that”, stressed Thomas Klein.

Haris Hujic at the FT line

In the second quarter the RheinStars Cologne continued to execute with ease while there were 8 lead changes and the EPG Baskets Koblenz stayed with the guests, but then Haris Hujic got going again and Koblenz mentally shit off again and allowed the guests to take total control of the game. Ex easyCredit BBL player Aleksa Kovacevic carried the EPG Baskets in the first minutes with timely scoring as he added 10 points, but that didn´t faze the RheinStars as they continued to execute well and had no lapses. They got good support from their bench with German Jasper Gunether made a lay in, German Bjoern Rohwer made a last second desperation shot before the shot clock buzzer with a trey and ex Kirchheim guard Mike Miller made a fade away jumper as the game was deadlocked at 43-43. Then once again came Haris Hujic on to the stage and just destroyed Koblenz with 9 unanswered points with 3 three´s as the RheinStars led 53-43. The guests controlled the boards a lot better in the second quarter and had 8 offensive rebounds at the break. They also took good care of the ball with only 4 turnovers. They got good rebounding and scoring from French forward Kenny Baptiste with free throws and a jumper by Miller as the RheinStars led 59-47 at halftime. “We lost control of the game after Hujic´s hot shooting. We weren´t focused anymore and had no positive body language”, stated Thomas Klein.

Calvin Wishart at the FT line

The RheinStars continued pouring it on in the third quarter as their offensive execution continued, but defensively the EPG Baskets Koblenz had little to offer. “You have to give credit to the RheinStars in that they played well, but we let them play well”, said Thomas Klein. The RheinStars Cologne knew where Koblenz´s weak spot was and attacked it getting easy baskets inside by Miller, Baptiste, Rohwer (dunk) and a floater by Hujic to preserve the healthy lead. Koblenz got some three´s by Tim Smith Jr, but couldn´t gain any real ground as they trailed 71-57. The EPG Baskets continued to execute well getting some lay in´s by Minnesota native Calvin Wishart and from German Jonas Niedermanner to trail 76-64, but all in all, they were always a step slower on the rebound and on the closeout. The guests just continued to execute at ease and then also stepped up their defense a notch as they went on a lethal 13-5 run to close out the third quarter and have the commanding 91-69 advantage after 30 minutes. In the run, the guests received great support from scoring ace Cedrick Russell who played at Ohio State (NCAA) with 7 points while solid bench player Nate Watson who balled at Longwood College (NCAA) added 5 points in the romp. “We wanted to come into the third quarter and keep the momentum and bring the same energy form the second quarter and did. We motivated each other and had more energy”, stated Maxi Begue. “We weren´t focused and couldn´t generate stops. I feel like compared to other games, we did force them to tough shots. Hujic made some contested shots”, added Tim Smith Jr.

Bjoern Rohwer with the dunk

In the fourth quarter the EPG Baskets scored 27 points, but couldn´t get a miracle on the defensive end as they allowed 22 points and got the loss. The EPG Baskets actually had a good start in the last frame going on a 11-5 run. One felt that they had more energy and the body language was better. Koblenz got hot from outside as Larry nailed 2 three´s and Wishart another as they trailed 96-80. However the RheinStars began to execute better again especially attacking the rim as Miller scored twice while the EPG Baskets Koblenz went the 1-1 route on offense as there was no structure in their game. Smith and ex Oldenburg center Marko Bacak connected for three´s, but the uphill climb was still so great at 105-86 and time was elapsing rapidly. Smith continued to leave his heart on the court as he connected on 5 more points, but they still trailed 111-92. Ex Skyliner Begue got some garbage points at the end to finish with 8 points in 15 minutes. The RheinStars had the big lead and the win in hand, so sthey hut down their machine a bit in crunch-time allowing the result at the end to look a bit more respectable. “We still had to be awake, because they are a dangerous team. They fought hard, but we finished the game strong”, stressed Maxi Begue. “We had no structure and were down 20 points. We tried to get something going, but couldn´t”, stressed Tim Smith Jr. The RheinStars Cologne presented 5 guys in double figures and were led by Haris Hujic with 26 points. Michael Miller added 19 points and Cedrick Russell 18 points while the EPG Baskets Koblenz also had 5 guys score in double figures led by Tim Smith Jr with 23 points while Aleksa Kovacevic added 16 points and Calvin Wishart 15 points. The RheinStars Cologne shot 56% from the field and 52% from outside and had 39 rebounds and 10 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 46% from the field and 46% from outside and had 34 rebounds and 11 turnovers.