Berlin (dpa) - Alba Berlin has overcome his final trauma and set the record of Bayer 04 Leverkusen with the tenth cup triumph.
Thanks to an increase in performance in the second half, the capital city club beat the EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the final with 89:67 (40:43). For the Berliners it was the first title win since 2016. The team of coach Aito Garcia had lost the past five finals in the championship, cup and Eurocup.
In front of 14,614 spectators, Alba won the third quarter with 25: 8 and thus made a decisive difference. The best launcher of the winner was Martin Hermannsson with 20 points, 17 points from Braydon Hobbs were not enough for Oldenburg. The Lower Saxony are still waiting for their second cup triumph after 2015. Defending champion FC Bayern Munich had already failed in the round of 16 at the Telekom Baskets Bonn.
From the beginning, a close game with a lot of struggle developed. Alba may also have been hampered by the recent title chances. Oldenburg, however, started concentrated in the fourth away game of this cup season, initially showing a strong defensive performance. Center-giant Rasid Mahalbasic in particular posed problems for Alba. Led by the Austrian, who was 2.10 meters tall, Lower Saxony dominated the rebound and always secured second chances to throw.
The favorite Berliners only hit one of their first seven distance throws, but kept the game open, driven by their hot-blooded fans. Due to the successful attempt by US professional Tyler Larson shortly before the final siren, Oldenburg went into the break with a lead of three points. But Alba came out of the cabin with a different intensity. With a threesome, construction player Peyton Siva provided the first lead since the opening quarter at 49:46, after which Rokas Giedraitis thrilled the home fans by dunking over Oldenburg's Rickey Paulding.
This should be the decisive blow for Oldenburg. With a 10-0 run, Alba broke away and extended the lead to 14 points by the end of the third section. The final quarter became a big cup party for Alba.
For the first time, both a hockey and a basketball game took place in one day in the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin. In a logistical effort, the parquet floor was covered over within a few hours after the Eisbären Berlin defeated the Adler Mannheim.
The home rights will be drawn in the German Cup among the two finalists, so that Alba was faced with difficulties and had agreed on this solution with the polar bears and the hall operator. The BBL plans to change the controversial mode and is looking for a permanent place for the cup final.
Final information
Squad Alba Berlin
Squad EWE Baskets Oldenburg
