24/08/2014
100-64 (14-17, 26-11, 30-18, 30-18)
Arena Koszalin/Koszalin
Poland went top of Group C on Sunday thanks to an impressive 100-64 triumph over Luxembourg at home, in Day 5 action in the EuroBasket 2015 2nd Qualifying Round.
The Polish have improved to 4-1 but are not assured of qualification to the big event, as both Austria and Germany stand at 3-2 and everything will be determined on the final day.
Luxembourg, who have dropped to 0-5 in the group, came out on Sunday with the intention to make a stand and surprised their hosts as they jumped to a 17-14 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
The route of the game however changed direction for good in the second frame, as Poland got valuable contributions from their bench players and dominated on the glass with an iron fist, out-rebounding their guests 45 to 21 at the end.
Poland used a 9-0 run midway through the second quarter, which Aaron Cel capped off from close range 3:16 from the half-time buzzer, to claim a 29-19 lead.
The resilient Luxembourg side managed to contain somewhat the hosts in the remainder of the first half and Poland went into the locker rooms leading 40-28.
But Poland stepped on the gas midway through the third to enter the final frame with a 70-46 lead and a Michal Michalak triple with 5:02 left in the fourth raised the gap to its highest value all night, 87-51.
All 12 players on the Polish squad saw playing time and wrote their name on the scoreboard, with Szymon Szewczyk leading the way with his 17 points and Adam Waczynski adding 13.
For Luxembourg, Alexandre Rodenbourg finished with 14 points in defeat.
Franck Meriguet, Head Coach Luxembourg
"We played a good game. Before the game the final score was known. We have our own goals – we want to improve game by game. I'm pleased with the first quarter."
Tom Schumacher, Luxembourg
"I think we had a very good first quarter. They made turnovers, we had easy baskets from that. We knew that in the second half they would take their advantage near the basket. They shot a lot of three pointers later too. When they started to hit shots, it was hard for us in defence."
Mike Taylor, Head Coach Poland
"I'm really pleased with the result. We got off to a slow start and made some mistakes in the first half. I'm happy that we adjusted in the second half. They had nothing to lose and played free and really attacked us. Our teamwork was excellent."
Adam Hrycaniuk, Poland
"We were very optimistic before the game. The start of the game didn't show that. We had a lot of respect for Luxembourg. We had to show our advantage on the court. We have one more game to play. Today everyone had a chance to play and got their points."
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