EPG Koblenz Baskets put on a shooting display to beat Bayreuth 109-90 in Pro A on Saturday. The hosts never looked back after finding their rhythm early, and the gap only widened as the game went on. Bayreuth came into the match as favourites, and by then the result felt inevitable.
Koblenz shot from distance with real conviction, making ten three-pointers to their opponents' ten as well. It was the field goal percentage that really told the story: 39 makes from 67 attempts compared to Bayreuth's 30 from 61. And here's the thing, the free throws didn't help either—Koblenz converted 18 of 28 attempts while the visitors managed 19 from 22.
The rebounding battle was tight, but Koblenz's 27 to 24 gave them extra possessions. More telling was the turnover count: 17 for the hosts against 21 for the visitors, and those extra chances mattered. To be fair, Bayreuth's 14 assists versus Koblenz's 24 showed a different kind of movement, one that didn't generate clean looks.
Defensively, Koblenz's 13 steals stood out, and they forced Bayreuth into uncomfortable shots. The visitors' 21 personal fouls suggest they were chasing the game rather than controlling it. The history between them adds an edge, and this time the home side had the answer.
We had backed Bayreuth at 51 per cent confidence, and the forecast didn't hold water. Koblenz simply found their range when it counted, and the visitors never got into any rhythm. By then the result was never in doubt.
For Koblenz, this lifts them off the bottom of the table and gives them something to build on. Bayreuth remain tenth after 34 games, but the three-point gap in points difference is a doubt going forward. Cup football has its own rules, and this was a statement from the hosts.
