We took control early

Sopron Basket - TFSE-MTK 90-62 (26-16, 20-13, 25-24, 19-9)
Sopron

Sopron Basket: Fegyverneky 8/6, Sykes 20, Kunek 18/6, Brooks 14, Sitku 2 Sub.: Stankovic 14, Czukor 2, Varga A. 7/3, Böröndy 5, Völgyi -

TFSE-MTK: Marshall 7/3, Dúl P. 13/3, Dúl T. 4, Hillsman 27, Hegedűs 6 Sub.: Szeitl 3/3, Theodorean 2, Király -, Burján -, Turi -

Statistics

FGS: 31/64 48% ill. 23/68 34%

3-PTS: 5/20 25% ill. 3/15 20%

FTS: 23/28 82% ill. 13/17 77%

Rebounds: 42 (Stankovic 10) ill. 39 (Hillsman 11)

Assists: 17 (Sykes 8) ill. 13

Steals: 11 (Sykes 6) ill. 6

Turnovers: 13 ill. 18

Faults: 17 ill. 22

Jeca began scoring with a mid-range double at the start of the game, and then Brittney also made one, while at the other end Hillsman split a pair of free throws. After that the guests’ center was also successful from the field, and then Jeca hit once, while Zsuzsi also made a double off an assist by Brittney after a penetration move by the latter, forcing Bianka Magyar to call a time-out (4th minute 8-3). Alice came up with a triple coming back on the court, to which Hillsman answered back from close in. After that Dragan also joined the game, and the difference reached nine points with a corner three by Alice, but then Panka Dúl converted an and-one to make it six again. Dragana made her mark on the team quite quickly, the difference reached the double-digit mark thanks to two made buckets by her, and we managed to hold on to it until the end of the period (10th minute 26-16).


The teams couldn’t break the ice at the beginning of the second quarter, there were no more baskets made for a long time, but Alexandra Theodoreán suffered an ankle injury at a collision, and had to leave the game. More than three and a half minutes into the period Marshall finally made a bucket to end the drought, while at the other end Kiwi came up with a three-point play (14th minute 29-18). Dalma made two free throws after an unsportsmanlike foul by Marshall, and then off the possession afterwards Alice made a lay-up, to which she then added a free throw, making it a sixteen-point game, and forcing Bianka Magyar to call her second time-out (34-18). Hegedűs and Alice exchanged buckets coming back on the court, then Panka Dúl was also successful, and when Marshall drained a triple it was Dávid Gáspár’s turn to call his team to the bench for a time-out (17th minute 36-25). We picked up where we left off after the short pause, and forced the away bench to call another time-out with a 6-0 run (42-25). In the remainder of the half we first got the difference up above twenty points, but TF had the last laugh, when they managed to come closer thanks to two successful offensive possessions, but we were still in a comfortable lead at the half-time (20th minute 46-29).


Alíz made an open three at the beginning of the third quarter, to which Hillsman answered back with a double, and then the guests’ American added a three-point play to her tally as well (49-34). The away team’s scoring run got stretched out until 7-3, when Brittney and Alíz also put points on the board, whle at the other end Hillsman scored three off one possession. It was raining points at both ends, and in the middle of the period Marshall committed an unsportsmanlike foul, and since it was already her second, she got sent off the court (25th minute 61-42). After that TF came closer again with a 7-2 run, but then Dragana put an end to this period with two successful free throws. In the remainder of the quarter TF tried to cut into their deficit, but we kept it up with some highlight reel-worthy moments by Brittney, and went into the final stage of the game in possession of an 18-point advantage (30th minute 71-53).


The difference reached the twenty-point mark thanks to a shot by Jeca at the beginning of the fourth, and then Dragana also hit a double. After that TF also began scoring thanks to a triple by Panka Dúl, to which Jeca answered back with a lay-up after a steal, forcing Bianka Magyar to call another time-out (34th minute 77-56). Brittney first made a double after the short talk at the benches, and then handed out an assist to Jeca, who also converted a shot from behind the charity stripe. With three minutes left in the game Dávid Gáspár also called his first time-out in the half (37th minute 84-60). We ended the game with a 6-2 run, and came away with a confident win in the rematch of gameday two (40th minute 90-62).

Dávid Gáspár: Some players have to learn to maintain the expected quality if they come off the bench, or have been playing for a while already. It will be crucial for the future, I have seen flaws in that regard tonight. TFSE grabbed four offensive rebounds in the first half, and 12 after the break, which shows that we were not sharp enough in certain situations. We controlled the game well, and had some great periods, but in the previously mentioned areas there is still room to grow. All in all, congratulations to my team, and I am happy for Dragana's good performance, too! I wish TFSE the best of luck for the future!

Dragana Stankovic: There were bad periods in the game, which we cannot allow in Euroleague. We have to carry the last quarter with us. I have been here for a couple of days, there is a lot for me to learn, I hope that I will be ready for the next occasion!

Bianka Magyar: We are in a brutal series, in which we have constantly played against tough teams. We have to see that it is not yet our level. We need a full week to prepare for games. It can be felt that the girls are mentally tired, too. I am sorry about what happened in the game, I do not accept unsportsmanlike behaviour at any level. Now come the important games for us, in which we will have to function as a team, and make use of our experience. Congratulations to Sopron! I am happy that our subs also tried to fill in for their missing teammates. We had our composure, and didn't fall apart. We almost won the third quarter, but got tired by the end.

Panka Dúl: Congratulations to Sopron for the win! I would not like to go into detail about the game, but I am proud of us for not giving up even for a moment. We have to look ahead, and make good use of the week to pull ourselves together and get ready mentally for the game against Cegléd.