Germany add to Finnish woes, sweep way to Second Round

OKINAWA (Japan) - Germany did not leave anything to chance as they kept the also-ran Finland in search of a win, 101-75, to sweep their way into the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Group Phase, Tuesday evening at the Okinawa Arena here.

 

Though guaranteed to finish as the top seed of Group E, Die Mannschaft refused to fall complacent, as evidenced by the way they took control of the game in the middle quarters before cruising towards their third win, staying undefeated while keeping Susijengi winless.

Main man Dennis Schroder and spark plug Isaac Bonga finished with 15 points apiece as the two took turns leading the breakaway. Johannes Thiemann supplied 13 points for a game-high efficiency of 19, while Moe Wagner and Andreas Obst chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Turning point: Game was tied early in the second period until Schroder led a 10-0 run to give Germany a 37-27 lead approaching the midway mark of the said chapter.

They would go on to break away in the third quarter, with Bonga getting in rhythm to lead his side to a 55-39 lead, marking the beginning of a blowout.

TCL Player of the Game: Bonga went 5-of-6 from the field and made all four of his free throws, collecting 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal as well on the way to earning the nod.

 

Stats don't lie: Germany dished out 29 assists, the most they had in a FIBA World Cup since racking up 32 versus New Zealand in 2002, in their biggest win ever against a European opponent in the World Cup. Their previous biggest win was an 18-point victory against Russia in 2002 as well.

Bottomline: Reaching the Second Round of this year's competitions marked a redemption of sorts for Germany after shockingly bowing out of the First Round in the 2019 World Cup in China.

They said: "We expected to advance. Our thing was playing one game at a time. Obviously it's nice to go into the next group 3-0, but we're just in the beginning of what we want to do.  The peak of the mountain is here, we're halfway up. We have higher expectations." - Gordie Herbert, Head Coach, Germany

"Very far. Of course, the tournament's Second Round most likely will be super tough, you need to win big games, very good basketball teams, and then you go into one-game situations. I think this confidence that they (Germany) have, will give them an opportunity to go all the way ... Wishing them the best." - Lassi Tuovi, Head Coach, Finald

Press conference:

 

FIBA