Schio – USK Praha 69:56, Basketball players USK Praha lost in Italy, EL is waiting for their third match
The Czech champions did not follow up on the week-old domestic victory 72:70, in retaliation they paid for a weaker field shot. Coach Natalie Hejková’s trustees converted only 24 of all 74 shots and hit only one of 17 three-point attempts. The Italian team pulled with 16 points and 14 rebounds by Sandrine Gruda, the USK did not help even the double doubles of its three players. The most productive was Brionna Jones with 18 points and 17 rebounds.
“It’s a pity and I’m sorry that we could manage today’s match even with average shooting. Except for the end, when it was a lure, we played very well in defense. Without the failed attack, everything would be different. Unfortunately but only two players played for us and that’s not enough, “Hejková said in a telephone interview with ČTK.
The domestic organizers provided support to Ukraine, which is facing a military invasion by Russia, and throughout the match, the message “Stop the war” shone on their billboards.
As in the first match, the Prague team started without an injured quarterback Barbora Bálintová and pivanya Dragana Stankovičová, and from the beginning they fell on inaccurate shooting. Although in the first minutes Thomas still took the lead 9: 5 after five points, the home team won the duel with a quick string and won the first quarter at 18:13. At that time, the Czech champions surpassed their opponents in rebounds in the ratio of 22:10, but their shooting success was below thirty percent.
“We clearly defended much better than in the first match, but the attack did not work. The situation itself was well prepared, we just did not match. At first it was nervous and then some players,” said Hejková.
Her team continued to try to repel the careful defense, but due to the suffering under the Schia basket, the shortage of Praguers increased. The Italian team bounced back to a double-digit difference and the loss of USK was not averted even by Thomas, who already had a double double for 11 points and 10 rebounds after half-time. The visiting players turned only 10 of the 36 shots from the field into a break and did not hit any of the nine threes. Not even 12 offensive rebounds helped them.
The USK did not give up after the break and approached six points in a row in the beginning, as opposed to eight. Before the final part, the Czech champions kept a single-digit deficit and felt the chance to turn the duel on the same board as a week ago – then they erased a twelve-point loss in the final five-minute period.
Seven minutes before the end, the Prague team made it to a difference of five points (47:52), but after scoring by Sottana and Gruda, the home players regained a reassuring lead of 11 points and in the end did not admit any drama. Schio scored his third victory against USK in eight matches.
“After the match, I told the players that she is gone today and we are moving on. It’s a pity that I couldn’t let them rest in the end, but we had a chance until the last minutes. The state of the series is now 1: 1 and we have a match at home “We will want to take the last step there,” Hejková said.
European Basketball League Quarterfinals – Second Match: |
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Schio – USK Praha 69:56 (18:13, 37:25, 48:39) |
Most points: Gruda 16, Sottana 12, Keys 10 – Jones 18, Thomas 15, Conde 13. Fouls: 12:11. Free throws: 7.6. – 11.7. Threes: 7: 1. Rebounds: 41:54. Series status: 1: 1. |