Germany claims Super Cup, Italy crushes Estonia
Germany won the DBB Super Cup in Hamburg by beating Croatia in the final, while Italy handed a heavy defeat to Estonia in Trento. Both Croatia and Estonia are upcoming World Cup qualifying opponents of Latvia's national team.
Germany's national basketball team beat Croatia 96:87 in Sunday's final in Hamburg to win the German Basketball Federation's (DBB) Super Cup. Both teams currently sit at 5-1 in World Cup qualifying and are set to face Latvia soon, against whom the head-to-head record stands at 3-3. Croatia will play first, hosting Latvia in Zadar on August 27.
Germany and Croatia have already met twice in this qualifying cycle: Croatia won at home 93:88, while Germany avenged that loss on their own court, winning 91:89 in overtime.
In Sunday's final, the reigning world and European champions pulled away late in the first half with a 16:4 run to lead 50:38. Croatia repeatedly closed the gap in the second half but could never fully level the score. Oskar da Silva led Germany with 22 points, his brother Tristan posted a strong efficiency rating, and Maodo Lo added 19 points. Dennis Schroder recorded ten points, ten assists and seven rebounds. For Croatia, Mario Hezonja and center Ivica Zubac were the top scorers, with Zubac also grabbing 13 rebounds.
Germany's next qualifying opponent, previously unbeaten Poland (6-0), suffered a surprise loss to Greece in Athens on Friday, falling 81:89 after a weak third quarter.
Italy overwhelms Estonia
Meanwhile, Italy routed Estonia 83:61 in Trento, a day after Estonia had beaten Lithuania in Kaunas in overtime, 110:108. Italy's decisive stretch came in the third quarter, which they won 27:13. Simone Fontecchio led all scorers with 21 points, while Tommaso Baldasso and Estonia's Artur Konontsuk each added 16.
Estonia (3-3) travel to Hungary on Thursday, while Italy (5-1) host Bosnia on Friday.
