Telenet Giants Antwerp wins third in a row: “This is very important for a place in the Elite Gold”
Third win in a row for Telenet Giants Antwerp. This time against a direct competitor for the Elite Gold and a place in the top five. “It was sloppy on the last one, but this is an important victory,” said Jean-Marc Mwema, one of the Antwerp stars.
Without the American center Royce Hamm, Telenet Giants Antwerp took a great start that ended in 27-38 half way.
“Defensively, we laid the foundation of this gap in the first two quarters,” said US power forward Reggie Upshaw. “We did it collectively and met a lot of support in the rebound. Yes, I scored a lot in the first two quarters, but the danger came from everyone. That is our strength.”
The third period was also for Telenet Giants Antwerp, but it gasped in the last quarter. The camp with errors and five minutes before the end, Roby Rogiers disappeared definitively from the match with five errors. With half a minute left on the game clock, Bergen tied the score: 70-70. The Giants faltered but Spencer Butterfield dropped an important bomb: 70-73. The final phase was a nail biter. Thijs De Ridder scored 72-75 and with 21 seconds left the Giants had possession. With free throws by Spencer Butterfield, the deserved win went to Antwerp.
Bergen 75-77 Telenet Giants Antwerp
MOUNTAINS: Moore 19, Mintogo 4, Braxton 9, Gavrilovic 4, Zubac 10, Harris 14, Vrabac 4, Mortant 11.
TELENET GIANTS ANTWERP: Bradford 12, Rogiers 12, Butterfield 16, Mwema 9, Upshaw 18, Anderson 0, Smout 0, De Ridder 10.