Germany right at home in Group of Death, take down Bosnia and Herzegovina

COLOGNE (Germany) - Germany showed they are feeling right at home in the so-called Group of Death, taking  over the second half to defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina 92-82 for a 2-0 record in Group B of the FIBA EuroBasket 2022.

Germany avoided a letdown after knocking off France in the opening game and showed why many considered them a title contender with five players scoring in double figure in front of 18,017 spectators. 

 

Turning Point: Bosnia and Herzegovina led the entire first half - by as many as 11 points - but Germany showed the stuff of a title contender with an 18-0 run spanning the halftime to lead 54-47. The cushion grew to 12 points at the end of the third quarter and Germany led by 14 points with five minutes to go. Bosnia and Herzegovina made it interesting  and trimmed the deficit to six points, but Germany refused to break.

TCL Player of the Game: Germany impressed with their depth and balance, but Dennis Schroder handled the reins with 18 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds and just 1 turnover in 30 minutes.

Stats Don't Lie: Germany held the Balkan side to just 25 percent on three-pointers, and the hosts' depth shined through with a 50-32 advantage in points from the bench. Dzanan Musa (30 points) and Jusuf Nurkic (21 points) just did not get enough help.

Bottom Line: Germany will shoot for a perfect 3-0 record on Sunday when they hook horns with Lithuania. Bosnia and Herzegovina for their part face another tough task to win their second game as they play Slovenia.

They Said: "We spoke in the locker room that it was more on us with the energy and effort. We came out of the locker room and had more energy on defense and that made things easier." - Andi Obst, Germany

"We are not afraid to play physical and we matched their physicality. We are a really deep team and that makes us strong. Everybody can score and provide ." - Johannes Thiemann, Germany

"Basketball is a game of runs. Overall it was a great game. We were probably missing three or four minutes tonight to win the game." - Jusuf Nurkic, Bosnia and Herzegovina

"We showed that we can play well against the team that at this moment is probably playing the best basketball in our group." - Miralem Halilovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina

 
FIBA