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For Austrian men’s basketball, the train to the European Championship is probably gone again. A 67:70 against Ukraine on Monday in the Ljubljana “bubble” meant that the ÖBV team in Group F of the standings was left without a win. The possibility of reaching a final round for the first time since 1977 is only theoretical.
Four games, four losses, is the sobering result: Monday night, of course, a great opportunity was missed. The Eastern European opponent lost no less than 27 balls, 16 of them before the break. But the Austrians, who only had to get back on track a little over 19 hours after the final siren of the match against Slovenia, did not know what to do with it.
Additionally, there was a free throw performance of just 57.7 percent (15/26). Bogic Vujosevic only missed three times off the line in the final two minutes of the game. It was bad luck that a three-point attempt from the guard landed in the ring shortly before the end. One hit would have equalized.
Benedikt Güttl registered his personal best for the national team with 16 points in his fifth appearance in a qualifying match for the European Championship. Erol Ersek, who made his debut against Slovenia on Sunday, wrote for the ÖBV team for the first time. He published four counters. For team captain Thomas Schreiner, it will be of little consolation that he is the second player after Rasid Mahalbasic to have four-digit scores in the ÖBV selection. His four points on Monday mean he has 1,001 points.
Qualification for Austria will end in February 2021 with two more games. The opponent is then the Hungarian national team, which has two victories out of so many encounters and had to leave Ljubljana prematurely due to several crown cases in the team. Slovenia and Ukraine have qualified for the European Championship after their victories against the ÖBV team in Ljubljana.
ÖBV team boss Raoul Korner saw a “big step forward” despite the recent defeat. His team had more possession, but used it very little. In addition, simple points were awarded. “Ukraine was a bit calmer,” Korner said at the post-match press conference.
Austria has displayed solid basketball for more than 40 minutes, summed up the national team record and captain Thomas Schreiner. By being aggressive on defense, it was possible to force Ukraine to lose the ball. Missed free throws would have hurt. To win games like Monday, you need “one more step.”
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