Published: 9 September, 2009, 13:03
Edited: 9 September, 2009, 14:21
Team Russia has suffered their first loss at EuroBasket 2009, going down at the hands of Group B rivals Germany, despite cutting a 19-point deficit to one point during the game.
David Blatt’s men flunked the first quarter, giving Germany a 26-12 lead. The Germans, left without their NBA star Dirk Nowitzki, were led by Jan Jagla, who collected 19 points and 11 rebounds on the night.
The defending European Champions were forced to catch up with their rivals during the whole game.
And when the turnaround seemed possible, Germany’s Heiko Schaffartzik nailed a three-pointer with 1:45 to play and Robin Benzing iced the game with a tray with 48 seconds left.
Germany took the 76-73 win, which became their first in Poland. And one of the main reasons for the young Russian team’s defeat was an enormous number of misses from the free throws. David Blatt’s men made just 28 of 49 of them, while Germany converted 21 of 25.
"I don't know what to say about the free throws. Sometimes it's contagious. If you see one guy miss, others miss as well," David Blatt, the Russian coach, told the tournament’s official website.
Russia next face Group B leaders France, who defeated Latvia 60-51 in their second game, on Wednesday.
In Group A, Israel lost to Macedonia 79-82, and Greece kept a 100 per cent record by beating Croatia.
Slovenia got the better of Serbia 80-86 and Spain had little problem with Great Britain in another Group C match.
And in Group D, Baltic basketball powerhouse Lithuania suffered a shock defeat to hosts Poland 75-86, remaining winless at EuroBasket. Turkey were predictable winners over Bulgaria 94-66.