CL title now within reach
Telekom Baskets Bonn win semi-final thriller
05/13/2023 07:59 am
Telekom Baskets Bonn are just one win away from winning their first title in the club’s history. In the Final Four of the Champions League, coach Tuomas Iisalo’s team beat hosts Unicaja Malaga in a dramatic semi-final.
Telekom Baskets Bonn have reached the final of the FIBA Basketball Champions League. The leader of the basketball Bundesliga won the dramatic semi-final game against Unicaja Malaga, the host of the final tournament, on Friday evening with 69:67 (41:31). Head coach Tuomas Iisalo’s team can celebrate their first title in the club’s history in Sunday’s final against Hapoel Jerusalem. “I think our team is an inspiration. When you watch the guys you can’t help but admire their conviction,” enthused the coach.
Bonn initially had problems with the fast attacks and the move to the basket from Malaga, but then found their rhythm: From the end of the first quarter to the middle of the second quarter, they turned the game around with a 20:4 run. The basketball Bundesliga team only allowed nine points in the second round and went into the dressing room with a 41:31 lead.
After the break, Bonn found it difficult against Malaga’s more aggressive defence, in the fourth quarter they only managed to get the first basket out of the field after five minutes. Although the Iisalo team pulled away to a difference of nine points two minutes before the end, Malaga came back. After Bonn’s top scorer TJ Shorts (19 points) missed two free throws in the final seconds, Malaga had the chance to win with a three pointer, but missed it.
Bonn’s opponents in the final, Hapoel Jerusalem, surprisingly beat Tenerife 69:68 in the other semi-final. With a victory in the final, the people from Bonn are fifth after Alba Berlin (winning the Korac Cup in 1995), the Syntainics MBC from Weißenfels (FIBA Europe Cup 2004), the BG Göttingen (EuroChallenge 2010) and the Fraport Skyliners from Frankfurt (FIBA Europe Cup 2016). become a German basketball club that wins a European title.