Skopje (dpa/sn) - The Niners Chemnitz basketball players have successfully mastered the first hurdle on the way to the Champions League. The Bundesliga club got the upper hand against the host TFT Skopje on Wednesday with 96:77 (46:28). Marko Filipovity (26), Arnas Velicka, Shonn Miller (15 each), Mindaugas Susinskas and Matt Mooney (13 each) had the greatest share in the victory in Chemnitz. Lachlan Anderson (29), Trent Buttrick and Strahil Nikolov (11 each) scored the most points for Skopje.
At the qualifying tournament in North Macedonia, where six clubs are fighting for a place in the Champions League, the Saxons will meet the Swiss champions Olympic Friborg on Friday.
The Bundesliga team was superior to the North Macedonian cup winners in all respects. More than 8:7 (3rd) coach Rodrigo Pastore's protégés pulled away to 24:14 (10th) and at 51:30 (22nd) had already opened the gate to advance. Especially under the baskets, the Saxons showed their superiority (47:30 rebounds) and often had the second chance to throw.
