We had to work for it

Ludovika-FCSM Csata - Sopron Basket 62-82 (21-12, 20-26, 15-18, 6-26)
Budapest

Ludovika-FCSM Csata: Böröndy V. 3, Mányoky R. 11/6, Lelik R. 22/9, Hayes 19/6, Hegedûs 2 Sub.: Zempare 3, Toman P. 2, Farkas S. -, Gyöngyösi J. -,

Sopron Basket: Fegyverneky 18/9, Williams 4/3, Varga A. 10/3, Brooks 13/3, Határ 2 Sub.: Krajisnik 16, Walker 13/6, Varga S. 3/3, Czukor D. 3/3

Statistics

FGS: 16/34 ill. 20/41

3-PTS: 7/21 33% ill. 10/22

FTS: 9/12 75% ill. 12/13

Rebounds: 30 (Zempare 7) ill. 42 (Walker 9)

Assists: 13 (Lelik 4) ill. 22 (Williams 6)

Steals: 8 (Lelik 3) ill. 8 (Brooks 2)

Turnovers: 15 ill. 13

Faults: 21 ill. 16

VAL: 81 (Lelik 30) ill. 130 (Krajisnik 26)

Alíz got the first game of the season going with a three-point play, to which Gabby added a triple giving us the early advantage (0-6). By the middle of the quarter, however, Csata woke up and took over the lead forcing our first time-out (5th minute 10-8). The short pause proved ineffective, Csata kept delivering on both ends, which resulted in a 9-0 run (15-8). Then Sára put an end to our scoring drought with a corner three, but unfortunately, it didn’t give the team the much needed boost, and Csata finished the first quarter on top (10th minute 21-12).


Lelik opened the second period with a lay-up, to which Tia answered back from mid-range. Then Hayes and Alíz exchanged buckets, and then Hayes was successful again for two, giving the hosts a double-digit lead (27-16). A bit later, when Tina brought us back to a seven-point deficit it was Krisztián Tursics’s turn to call his team to the bench (14th minute 30-23). Zsófi hit a corner three coming back on court, to which Böröndy answered back with a double. Hayes and Megan both hit doubles, to which our new signing added a free throw making it a three-point play. It was her again, who ran down the court for a lay-up bringing us back to a single point deficit, forcing the home side’s next time-out (17th minute 34-33). The difference didn’t change until the last second of the half, when Hayes made a put-back lay-up to set the score for the break (20th minute 41-38).


Zsófi launched the second half with a mid-range double, and then she came up with a three-point play to turn the game our way after a long time (22nd minute 41-43). Not for long, though, Keyona Hayes answered back from beyond the arc. A bit later Böröndy put two more on the board from the foul line, to which Tina answered back with a lay-up off a spin move under the rim. Then Megan came up with a shot from outside to regain the lead for us (25th minute 46-48). The teams were neck and neck for a while, and then Réka Lelik put on a show for the home side to pull away by five points (28th minute 55-50). However, by the end of the period we managed to tie the game up (30h minute 56-56).


Jeca hit a triple to get the final stage of the game going, and then Zsófi handed out an assist to Dalma for a corner three, forcing coach Tursics’s next time-out (32nd minute 56-62). With a triple by Zsófi four minutes into the period we were already on an 11-0 run, which was stretched to 15-0 before the next stoppage by the home side (35th minute 56-71). Seven minutes into the quarter Keyona Hayes scored the first points for Csata from outside, to which Lelik added three more, but Alíz had the last laugh in the final second setting the score for the game with a triple (40th minute 62-82).

Dávid Gáspár: We struggled with a lot of problems in the first half, We didn't make contact, run, or stop the one-on-one plays the way we wanted, and couldn't grab the rebounds the way I would expect, the way we practised in training. We are after a tough day, but it is not an excuse for anything. I expect a lot more focus and better playing performance from the team! In the second half we corrected these mistakes and were finally able to play the way we wanted!

Zsófia Fegyverneky: I think that for three quarters we didn't play the way we wanted. I mostly mean on defense. In the fourth quarter it began to look the way we want it to look. On defense there are things, of course, that come from the lack of chemistry, but as we keep playing together we will fix them. We have to defend on the level we did in the last quarter, we have to work on that!