Dresden - The weekend could not start better for the Dresden basketball fans. In front of an impressive crowd of 2,016 enthusiastic spectators, the Titans celebrated a hard-fought home victory against the Falcons from Nuremberg on Friday night. The final score: 84:76.
The game did not start as hoped for the Titans, however. In the first few minutes, the Falcons from Nuremberg seemed to gain the upper hand, but the Titans were not discouraged. After a difficult start, trailing 3-10, a powerful 16-2 run, aided by threes from Grayson Murphy and Tanner Graham, turned things around. At the end of the first quarter, it was 21:16 for Dresden.
The second round was characterized by spectacular distance throws. Grant Teichmann shined with two threes, assisted by Koen Sapwell and Graham. At that point, the Titans proudly boasted a three-point percentage of 64 percent, higher than their two-point quota. The team pulled away with a score of 39-25, but left a few points on easy mistakes just before the halftime break. The score was 47-36 at the break.
In the third quarter, the Titans seemed to falter briefly. Memories of the last game against Giessen were awakened. They looked unfocused and nervous, which gave the Falcons the opportunity to cut their deficit to just one point (57:56). But two crucial three-pointers by Murphy and Sapwell in the final seconds of the quarter put the Titans back on track.
The last ten minutes of the game belonged entirely to the Dresdeners. The Titans, fueled by the vociferous support of their fans, left no stone unturned and secured a well-deserved victory.
Players statistics for the Titans
Tanner Nicholas Graham (#12) was the standout player of the night and the top scorer with an impressive 20 points. In a game time of 28:05 minutes, he demonstrated his skills on both offense and defense.
Koen Alika Sapwell (#1) was also instrumental in the Titans' victory. He scored 18 points in 22:24 minutes and also tallied 2 assists and 3 fouls. His hitting percentage of 71% from 2-point range and 50% from 3-point range shows his dominance on the court.
Grayson Scott Murphy (#2), who spent 30:15 minutes on the court, was equally outstanding. With 12 points, 2 assists and 4 rebounds, he showed how valuable he is to the team. His impressive hit rate of 100% from the free throw area underscores his coldness under pressure.
Also Grant Teichmann (#6) contributed significantly to the victory with 12 points in 16:09 minutes. He also contributed 2 assists and impressed with a 56% scoring rate from 2-point range.
Daniel Kirchner (#4) spent 25 minutes on the court, but unfortunately was unable to score. Still, his presence on the court was felt, especially on defense.
Lucien Schmikale (#9) contributed 5 points in 14 minutes and remained mistake-free throughout the game.
Arne Wendler (#10) played 13 minutes and scored 2 points. He brought stability to the game when needed.
Lukas Zerner (#11) was active in his 13 minutes on the floor, scoring 5 points and contributing to the team's victory.
Georg Wilhelm Voigtmann (#13) was unable to contribute any points in the short 6 minutes he was on the court, just like Georg Kupke (#55),
.
Till Isemann (#21) played just under 9 minutes and managed to score 7 points, showing that he used his time on the court efficiently.
Sebastian Heck (#25) was on the floor for 8 minutes and contributed 3 points to the overall win.
Overall, the team managed to hit 50% from 2-point range and 48% from 3-point range. Another highlight was the performance at the free throw line, where the Titans sank an impressive 82% of their throws.
But the Titans were not only strong on the offensive end. In total, they were able to grab 36 rebounds and distribute 23 assists. The defense stood secure, which is also evidenced by the team's 21 fouls. However, the 8 turnovers show that there is still room for improvement.
Overall, it was an evening in which the Dresden Titans showed their class and gave the fans a memorable start to the weekend. The team proved once again why it is considered the favorite this season and will certainly make a splash in the upcoming games.
