Split 2013, European Championship diary: Entry 1
We will keep you up to date with all the results, news, events and other "stories" of this outstanding international university sports event in our European Championship diary over the next nine days.
After a smooth arrival and moving into the team quarters in the middle of the university campus in Split, our boys were able to enjoy the first welcome party hosted by the well-prepared organization team of the University of Split on Sunday evening. However, the pleasure was short-lived, as our boys naturally needed a lot of sleep in order to prepare for the upcoming sporting events.
On today's first day of the tournament, our team played against the Hungarian university selection from Debrecen.
The day of such an event is always exciting, as it is an important first assessment of the tournament. Of course, it is impossible to assess the performance of the individual teams in advance, so we were eagerly awaiting our first impressions.
The first game was against Debrecen, Hungary:
In the match against Hungary, it quickly became apparent that our boys had problems adjusting to the general conditions. Perhaps there was also a bit of awe at the "Gripe" sports hall, the venue of former NBA stars.
Despite the KIT team taking a quick 6:0 lead, an evenly balanced game developed over the course of the first quarter with a slight advantage for Debrecen. Our boys were not yet at their best, especially in defense. As a result, the first quarter ended with a narrow lead for the Hungarians: 17:19
Our boys also struggled in the second quarter against the extremely quick and agile Hungarians, but were able to keep the game evenly balanced. Despite their physical advantages, they had to let their opponents pass them time and again and so they went into the half-time break 40:43 behind.
At the start of the third quarter, our lads got off to a flying start and quickly went on an 8:1 run. The resulting 48:44 lead was maintained until the end of the third quarter... 58:54 for us!!!
In the final act of this highly dramatic opening match, the KIT team was able to extend its lead to ten points by the middle of the quarter (71:61).
After one of our key players, Elnis Prasovic, went off due to foul trouble, our team briefly lost the thread and the Hungarians were forced to close the gap to three points again (71:68).
In the hectic final phase, all our players had to do was close their eyes and keep going! Peter Voß did just that with the decisive offensive rebound a few seconds before the end. And that was enough. The final score was 76:74 for our team!
So the boys made a successful start to the tournament and now only need one more win to reach the knockout round.
In the preliminary round group of the KIT team, the tournament favorite, the selection of Moscow, will also play tomorrow, Tuesday, the next opponent of the KIT team and the team of the University of Coimbra, Portugal.
The Muscovites celebrated a completely unchallenged victory against the unfortunate Portuguese at the beginning of the tournament. The result speaks for itself: 103:26 in 40 minutes!
Let's see how our greats fare against the very greats from Moscow.
In the interview, coach Uli Himstedt reviews the first match and talks about the next tough game. More impressions can be found in the picture gallery!
Tonight there will be a big opening ceremony of the European Championship on the beach promenade in Split...Diary entry to follow....
Greetings from the 35 degree hot Split and see you soon...
Your sport.kit media team