Manchester Basketball shock SYNTAINICS MBC, advance to the title game
- marisnoviks
- Apr 23
- 3 min read
Manchester Basketball trailed as much as 14 points but never gave up and posted a 89-86 comeback win against first seeded SYNTAINICS MBC to advance to the 2026 ENBL final.
Players of the game
Stadthalle Weissenfels is the stronghold of the Wolves.
Wolves pregame anthem, Yellow-Out in the stands, thundering chants The Wolves and Defense – the 6th player was ready to help.
The other laurels went to Manchester Basketball players – five scored in double digits.
Jordan Johnson, a point guard from Memphis, Tennessee, led the visitors with 21 points on 3/5 shooting from the three point line and 8/9 from the charity stripe.
Max Jones, a 24 years old point guard from Clearwater, Florida, had 18 points on 4/8 shooting from the deep.
Tim Adetukasi scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half.
Donovan Mitchell had a memorable debut in the ENBL, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Duke Shelton, a 30 years old center from Ocala, Florida, never missed a shot to score 10 points – big man previously averaged 5.3 minutes in four games.
Khyri Thomas led SYNTAINICS MBC and all scorers with 23 points, including 17 points in the first half.
Jure Planinic had 19 points on 7/8 shooting from the field and 5/7 from the free throw line.
Spencer Reaves and Charles Callison checked out with 13 and nine points respectively.
Key stats
Khyri Thomas and Spencer Reaves matched Manchester Basketball in scoring during the first 16 minutes of the game, securing a 41-28 lead for SYNTAINICS MBC.
The biggest advantage was 14 points, 36-22.
Manchester Basketball regrouped and cut the gap to four points after a three pointer by Max Jones, 46-42.
The last three points in the first half were scored by Nemanja Djurisic, 49-42.
SYNTAINICS MBC shot 50 percent from the deep during the first 20 minutes, 8/16.
Manchester Basketball were not far behind with 46 percent, 7/15.
Center Matthew Nicholson received an unsportsmanlike foul early in the third quarter.
Nemanja Djurisic split the free throws, Charles Callison ended the possession with two points to renew a double digit lead for SYNTAINICS MBC, 52-42.
Manchester Basketball front court players stepped up in the second half.
The visitors became more aggressive closer to the basket and scored more points in the paint during the last 20 minutes, 22-18, after trailing in the first 20 minutes, 8-22.
Manchester Basketball scored more second chance points, 18-13.
They went 5/11 from the three point line in the second half, compared to 1/12 accuracy for the hosts.
The sum of all small parts resulted into the biggest win of the season.
Game notes
Manchester Basketball improved to 10-2, while SYNTAINICS MBC dropped to 10-2.
SYNTAINICS MBC suffered first loss on the home floor after six consecutive wins.
Matthew Otten and Manchester Basketball advanced to the European final in their debut season.
Super League Basketball clubs have reached ENBL final for two consecutive years after Marc Steutel and Newcastle Eagles earned a silver medal in 2025.
Manchester Basketball and Dziki Warszawa will play for their first European title on Thursday.
2026 Final Four schedule, Central European Time
Wednesday, April 22, semifinals
CSO Voluntari 80-87 Dziki Warszawa
SYNTAINICS MBC 86-89 Manchester Basketball
Thursday, April 23, medal games
17:00 Bronze medal game
20:00 Final
Comments