EUROBASKET QUALIFIERS

Germany big man Tibor Pleiß finished with a double-double in points (17) and rebounds (11) and shot 80 percent from the floor

After powering their way to a comfortable 97-65 success on the road against Luxembourg in EuroBasket Qualification Round Group B, Germany can almost reach out and touch a place in Slovenia next summer.

Svetislav Pesic and his team coasted to a fifth straight win to keep their unbeaten record intact as Tibor Pleiss harvested a super double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.

And, with a string of excellent cameo displays by the likes of Robin Benzing, Karsten Tadda, Maik Zirbes and Jan-Hendrik Jagla, Germany showcased its depth and was just far too strong for the home team, who is still without a win to their name.

Luxembourg did however compete very well during the initial phase of the game, employing an impressively aggressive approach on offence which helped them take an early 14-12 lead.

Even when Germany moved ahead, they still showed spirit by levelling matters at 18-18 heading into the second quarter.

Then, trailing 32-28, a triple by Tom Schumacher kept them to within a point - only for the visiting team to subsequently put their foot on the accelerator ahead of the interval with a 17-6 burst, killing off any notion of Luxembourg continuing to keep pace for the remainder of the game.

Six Germany players reached double-digits whilst Martin Ranjak had 12 points, six assists and four rebounds for the hosts.