ARG/GER – Argentina holds down a tough German team

KAYSERI (2010 FIBA World Championship) – Argentina closed the first day of competition in Group A of the 2010 FIBA World Championship by winning over Germany 78-74 at Kadir Has Arena.

The Argentinian team felt right at home, despite being very far from their country as over 1,000 fans showed up to support them from start to finish.

In the first quarter Argentina relied on their two towers, Fabricio Oberto and Luis Scola, who combined for 12 points as they won the first 10 minutes 23-18.

Germany stayed in the game thanks to the aggressive and efficient play from guard Demond Greene, who visited with FIBATV.Com after the loss. He was responsible for tying the game at 36 and then making a three pointer with 1.8 seconds in order to give his team a 42-39 halftime lead. Greene had 12 points at halftime.

Argentina took off in the third quarter despite not having their starting point guard Pablo Prigioni who was resting. His replacement, Luis Cequeira, hustled on the court and made pinpoint passes to spark a 14-0 run that finished with a three pointer by Carlos Delfino to be up 63-49 with 1:54 to play. The third quarter ended 65-54 in favor of Argentina and Delfino scored 11 points in that period.

In the final ten minutes the strong guard play from Steffen Hamann and Demond Greene brought the Germans into life, but the experience and strong team play from Argentina gave them the win in the final seconds.

Quotes:

Sergio Hernandez (Coach, Argentina): Today was the first game. Namely the second and fourth quarters  the Germans were playing a better game under a lot of pressure. We played better in the crucial moments, especially after a good team like Germany. Each match is like a finals game for us.

Luis Scola (Forward, Argentina): Germany was a strong opponent. They exhibited a more variable game as time progressed, we have a strong team. The first match is difficult for every team. But in the end we won.

Jan Jagla (Center, Germany): We were the better side in the game. I do not understand how we lost, but I we were concentrating on defense rather than points. The next match will make us forget this game for our morale. We have just begun the tournament.

FIBA

On Twitter | On Facebook l On FIBA tv