Steals, threes and rebounds helped Coach Barloschky’s side put an end to a lengthy losing streak
Hamburg created a special night with record performance against Turk Telekom
Article
3 Mins read
Tuesday night was a big one for basketball fans in Hamburg. What started as a chance to see a local boy gone big visit his hometown turned into a record performance for Veolia Towers Hamburg. And not one that many saw coming.
While Hamburg native Ismet Akpinar stumbled to his worst game of the season for Turk Telekom Ankara, Hamburg claimed its first win of the season, 89-77, at Inselpark Arena. Akpinar started, but was held scoreless and finished with a PIR of minus-6 in 14:03 minutes. Few will remember that.
Instead, they will remember that Hamburg snapped a 12-game losing streak dating back to last season and set club records with 18 three-pointers made and 15 steals. Coach Benka Barloschky’s boys last won in the EuroCup in December 2024, when they stunned the London Lions 81-83 in the British capital. For their last home win in the EuroCup, you have to go back to March 2023 when they outlasted Dolomiti Energia Trento 89-87 en route to making a playoff appearance. Since then, Hamburg had dropped 11 in a row at home.
Tuesday’s victory was no accident and it came down to some simple math. Hamburg simply dominated the possession. It was able to shoot more before it owned the glass and forced turnovers.
"I think we played with a tremendous amount of energy today," Barloschky said after the game. "I feel like everybody who stepped on the court was part of a collective and was very good defensively. I thought it was maybe our best game we played so far.
"And the rebounding. In the end, it’s about the rebounding. I think when I saw the stats, 3 offensive rebounds for Ankara. That’s a big key for the game. We controlled the boards, we took care of the basketball – below 15 turnovers. That’s what you have to do if you want to win on this stage."
Hamburg did not have a banner shooting night; it was just 40% on two-pointers (14 for 35), though the 40.9% from downtown (18 for 44) was surely to the team’s liking. The success rates were rendered moot by the team’s 19 offensive rebounds.
But even more important for the home team was its 15 steals, which were 11 more than Turk Telekom. Hamburg scored 24 points off of the visitors’ 20 turnovers. In contrast, Turk Telekom generated just 10 points from Hamburg’s 11 giveaways.
One player who stood out not only with his play, but his spirit was center Kur Kuath, who amassed 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
"My guys, they were dogs today. They took care of business, finding me the ball, taking good shots, making their shots and we rebounded well. I feel like we played an overall good game," Kuath said after the game. "It’s been a rough first part of our season and every extra possession counts, especially playing against the best teams in the world. We just wanted it more and we went to get it."
Because Kuath and co. fought so hard for every extra possession, they were able to walk away victorious. And Coach Barloschky seemed inclined to give his charges the night to celebrate.
"To win at home is always a little bit sweeter than on the road. I am so happy for the guys, so proud of the guys, the way they played today, the way they finally rewarded themselves for the hard work they put in from Monday to Friday," Barloschky said.
"Today was really exceptional. They played super well and they deserve to win. It’s not that Ankara came here and they were not ready to play. We really beat them. We really won that game and it feels very special."