Poland basketball team loses to Germany in World Cup qualifier overtime

The Polish national basketball team suffered its first defeat in the second stage of the World Cup qualifiers, losing 94:96 to Germany in overtime at the Ergo Arena. Despite trailing by as many as 16 points, Poland staged a comeback to force extra time in front of a capacity crowd.

Controversy arose in the third quarter when Jordan Lloyd, an American player with Polish citizenship, was assessed a second technical foul and ejected after a hand gesture interpreted by officials as a protest. Following this, the Polish bench also received a technical foul.

Germany, the reigning world and European champions, managed to pull away in the overtime period to secure the win. Poland currently holds a 7-7 record in the qualifiers, matching the record of Germany and Croatia, and remains in contention for a spot in the tournament in Qatar.