Germany lock down Georgia down the stretch, open Qualifiers on high note

CHEMNITZ (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Germany won the battle of nerves in their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers opener against Georgia in Group G, coming out on top 79-70 after a determined performance down the stretch in Chemnitz.

Turning Point: Trailing 61-60 before the final quarter of action, Germany got down and dirty on the defensive end, inducing a fourth-quarter scoring drought that put them in front. The Robin Benzing-led hosts outscored Georgia 17-3 in the first eight minutes of the last period to decide the outcome of the game.

Game Hero: A game-high 25 points by team captain Robin Benzing on 9-of-16 shooting from the field earned him the spotlight, with Mike Zirbes adding an efficient 18-point and 5-rebound performance.

Stats Don't Lie: Georgia were scorching hot from downtown, making 16-of-34 attempts from beyond the arc, with Michael Dixon and Mikhail Berishvili knocking down five each. However, the 6-of-23 shooting from two-point range was the main reason behind their downfall.

Bottom Line: Germany had won all three encounters against Georgia coming into the Qualifiers and they prolonged the trend by moving the all-time head-to-head mark to 4-0.

They Said: "We played hard and tried our best. We fought till the last second of the game, but it's a new team with new players and it's very hard to get the team together (so fast). Our upcoming game against Serbia is going to be very tough." – Georgian national team big man Goga Bitadze.

"It was a very difficult game to play. We tried to get the ball inside and use our strength and our advantage under the basket against a good three-point shooting team. They shot 54 percent in the first half and 47 percent for the game, so it's very difficult to play those guys. We had our hands full the whole game, but they got a little bit tired in the fourth quarter." – German national team head coach Hendrik Rodl.

FIBA