16 offensive rebounds, one point short: Löwen Braunschweig hold off Rostock 83-82

Sixteen offensive rebounds — almost double the hosts' nine — and Rostock Seawolves still left the Volkswagenhalle one point short. Löwen Braunschweig won 83-82, and the margin tells only half of a strange story.

The first half belonged entirely to the Lions. A 10-point burst built the cushion, and at the break it read 30-13 — Rostock's lowest output of the night and Braunschweig's biggest lead, 17 points. The hosts would spend 36 minutes and 41 seconds of the 40 in front. Rostock's reply came after the restart: an 8-point run, a patient collapse of the deficit, and finally the lead itself, held for exactly 18 seconds and never by more than two. It was the visitors' only spell in front all night, and it ended with the home side ahead.

And yet the glass told the other story. CALLOUT: Löwen Braunschweig 83-82 Rostock Seawolves: 9-16 offensive rebounds decided the glass. CALLOUT: 34-40 on the boards. Every extra possession fuelled the Seawolves' comeback; Braunschweig simply refused to let it become the headline. Everywhere else the game was a coin toss: assists 16-15, steals 7-6 and blocks 2-1 all in the hosts' favour, while Braunschweig gave the ball away 17 times to Rostock's 15.

Devin Askew anchored the win: 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in just over 30 minutes. Ferdinand Zylka added 13 points and 8 rebounds, though his minus-11 says the Seawolves' surge ran through his shifts, and Tajh Green's two blocks outweighed his 8 points. Rostock's threat ran through TJ Crockett, 18 points on 58 percent shooting, and Artur Konontsuk, 16 points, 6 rebounds and a plus-8 — the stat line of a winner, worn by a loser.

Braunschweig lost the rebounding war and won the only number that goes in the standings. Somewhere in Braunschweig tonight, 16 offensive boards are still waiting for an explanation.