The Niners Chemnitz basketball team has celebrated a successful home opener in the German league. The team of Head Coach Rodrigo Pastore defeated Veolia Towers Hamburg by a clear margin of 102:78 (42:44) after a clear improvement in performance in the second half. Yordan Minchev stood out for the Niners with 25 points and 13 rebounds, while five other Chemnitz players scored in double figures.
In front of 4,814 spectators, Hamburg got off to the better start and pulled 13:6 ahead early on (5th minute). Chemnitz initially had great problems in the half-court game, but then fought its way back into the game with successes in defense and quick turnovers. John Newman put the Niners ahead for the first time (39:38 in the 17th minute), but Hamburg was back in front at the break.
The home side clearly took command after the break. They exerted high pressure in defense, dominated the rebounding and now also found their accuracy from the foul line. With a 20:2 run, they turned a 62:59 lead (28') into a clear 82:61 advantage (32') in the space of four-and-a-half minutes. Nike Sibande cracked the 100-point mark with a three with 16 seconds remaining.
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