Defenders miss Semi-final Ticket | FIBA ABL

The much anticipated match of the Nigerian team, Defenders, against the defending champions of Morocco, AS Sale is done and dusted.

Defenders lost to AS Sale 96-77, after a breath-taking second leg.
Both teams had a total of 165-147 points, accumulated from both legs played.

The 10-man rotation orchestrated by coach Gombwer did not favour the overall performance of the team, to secure the ticket to the semis, playing at the home court of the opponents.

"This series really exposed the Moroccans inconsistent offense, poor/lazy defense & serious lack of depth. I imagine the Tunisian club who makes it through to the semi final will do a better job of taking advantage of these areas than Defenders." said Coach Liz Mills, an Australian coach, and sports manager expressed on Twitter.

Coach Liz, over the years, has been showing core statistical facts and breakdown of teams overall performance and what to expect in the future.

She gave credit to team Defenders for pushing the defending champions to their limits.

"Defenders did a good job of playing to their strengths, but playing at that intensity and tempo for 40 minutes, without a half court offense to fall back on is difficult."

Meanwhile, the most consistent players in scoring are:
#11 Ocheibi Okpe 19 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist
#7 Ibe Abuchi Agu 16 points and 1 steal.

The experience is what would be remembered for both teams at the defending champions vs the Rookies at the quarter finals game.