– David Hein
The only action this week was the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup and the reigning champions Brose Bamberg set up a semi-final date with last year’s finalist ALBA BERLIN. The other semi-final will see ratiopharm ulm face EWE Baskets Oldenburg. The week did some big changes at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig, who released Kostja Mushidi and brought in Lucca Staiger. Oh, and Alex Ruoff is back at BG Göttingen - again.
In this section, we break out our English language skills and inform you about the latest news from the German easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga. If you’re short on time but still want your fill of Germany’s top basketball league then you are in the right place. Every week David Hein (www.heinnews.com) brings you up-to-date in German basketball – the easyCredit BBL short and sweet:
Champs Bamberg best Braunschweig on road to reach semis
Reigning MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup champions Brose Bamberg booked their ticket to the semi-finals with an 80-69 victory at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Bamberg blew a 12-point third quarter lead but then rebuilt the advantage to 10 points after 30 minutes and were not challenged the rest of the way. Bamberg committed just 10 turnovers and shot 52.4 percent on two-pointers while holding Braunschweig to 39.1 percent shooting, including 6-of-24 (25.0 percent) on threes. Christian Sengfelder led the way for Bamberg with 22 points and 8 rebounds against his former team while Retin Obasohan added 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals off the bench and Bryce Taylor chipped in 12 points with 4 three-pointers. Braunschweig were led by new acquisition Lucca Staiger, who had 14 points with 4-of-5 three-pointers and 1 steal while Trevor Releford scored 12 points.
Braunschweig release Mushidi for “disciplinary reasons”, add Staicer, Lyles
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig went through personnel upheaval just before their MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup quarter-finals match-up with Brose Bamberg as they released Kostja Mushidi and brought in Lucca Staiger and Jairus Lyles. Braunschweig parted ways with the 21-year-old Mushidi due to disciplinary reasons with immediate effect. To offset the Mushidi move and the departure of German big man Lars Lagerpusch to Science City Jena, Braunschweig were able to sign veteran German wing Staiger until the end of the season. Braunschweig, who have lost four in a row in the league, also added the combo guard Lyles until the end of the season as well after he was released from MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg earlier this season.
Berlin come back to win at home, MBC miss out on sensation
ALBA BERLIN needed to come back from a big third quarter deficit but managed to knock off SYNTAINICS MBC 82-77 and avoid a big upset and reach the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup semi-finals. Berlin, who lost in last season’s cup final, trailed by 15 points early in the third quarter and got back into the game, winning as MBC failed to score in final minute while Berlin scored the final four points. Berlin survived despite shooting 36.4 percent for the game, including 28.6 percent on threes as they committed just 12 turnovers while forcing 20 MBC turnovers and holding the guests to 42.4 percent on shooting. Plus Berlin made 26-of-30 free throws compared to 9-of-9 free throws from MBC. Marcus Eriksson paced Berlin with 18 points and 4 rebounds while Rokas Giedraitis scored 13 points, Niels Giffey had 12 points and Landry Nnoko picked up 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kaza Kajami-Keane was MBC’s leader with 28 points and 9 rebounds while Andrew Warren tallied 13 points and David Brembly added 12 points.
Ulm nearly blow big lead, beat Göttingen at home
ratiopharm ulm nearly blew a big lead but held on to knock off BG Göttingen 86-80 at home to reach the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup semi-finals. Ulm led by 16 points early in the third and then held on - thanks to turning it over just nine times and making 24-of-26 free throws (92.3 percent) compared to 9-of-17 free throws (52.9 percent) for Göttingen. Zoran Dragic paced Ulm with 22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals while Andi Obst had 17 points with 4 three-pointers and Killian Hayes picked up 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. All five Göttingen starters scored in double figures, led by Elias Lasisi with 19 points and 6 rebounds and Dylan Osetkowski with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. But the guests’ bench scored just 10 points.
Ruoff comes back to Göttingen - again
Alex Ruoff and BG Göttingen already have a history and the two sides are ready for more as the 33-year-old signed with Göttingen for a third go-around. The forward penned a deal until the end of the season after he played for Göttingen from 2013 to 2015 as well as the 2016-17 season.
Oldenburg get past Bonn on road to reach cup semis
EWE Baskets Oldenburg reached the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup semis-finals after defeating Telekom Baskets Bonn 88-81 on the road (Highlights). Oldenburg took over in the third quarter and led by 16 points early in the fourth. Oldenburg dominated the glass with a 43-27 rebound advantage and held Bonn to 42.0 percent shooting. Rasid Mahalbasic was Oldenburg’s top man with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block while Philipp Schwethelm tallied 16 points. Bonn saw Brenden Frazier lead the way with 19 points off the bench and Martin Breunig picked up 18 points and 5 rebounds.
Bamberg to host Berlin, Oldenburg to Ulm in cup semis
The semi-finals of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup were drawn after the Telekom Baskets Bonn and EWE Baskets Oldenburg game and reigning champions Brose Bamberg will host ALBA BERLIN in a showdown of the two finalists from last season, while ratiopharm ulm will play at home against EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Both of those games will take place on January 12, 2020.
Player of the Week
Two players matched the top efficiency of the week - with Christian Sengfelder of Brose Bamberg and Kaza Kajami-Keane of SYNTAINICS MBC sharing the honors. Sengfelder collected 22 points on 9-of-13 shots and 2-of-2 free throws, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block and 2 turnovers for an efficiency of 29 against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Kajami-Keane matched that efficiency against ALBA BERLIN with 28 points on 10-of-16 shots and 2-of-2 free throws, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 turnovers.
LIVE-VIDEO: @KazaKeane41 rettet kurz vor der Sirene zwei Punkte Führung für den @syntainicsmbc ins Schlussviertel!
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) December 15, 2019
???? Antworte jetzt mit #MVP + Nachname deines Pokal-Viertelfinal-MVPs und gewinne zwei VIP-Tickets für ein Halbfinale! ????#TriumphoderTrauer pic.twitter.com/euhymPuILz
German Top Five of the Week
G: Andreas Obst, ratiopharm ulm
Obst played a big role in Ulm getting past BG Göttingen with 17 points on 4-of-7 threes to go with 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal.
G: Lucca Staiger, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Staiger came in to Braunschweig and shined right away with a team-high 14 points on 4-of-5 three-pointers with 1 steal against Brose Bamberg.
F: Philipp Schwethelm, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Schwethelm was key for Oldenburg in knocking off Telekom Baskets Bonn with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal
F: Christian Sengfelder, Brose Bamberg
Sengfelder was exceptional for Bamberg against his former team Basketball Löwen Braunschweig with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block.
C: Martin Breunig, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Breunig collected 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal but it was not enough as Bonn lost to EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
Mattisseck Check
Jonas Mattisseck did a good job in avoiding mistakes in his 11:59 minutes on the court for ALBA BERLIN in their win over SYNTAINICS MBC in the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup. The 19-year-old had 3 points on 1-of-2 shots and 1-of-2 free throws, 2 rebounds and 1 steal with 0 turnovers.
Germans Abroad
Isaiah Philmore has been excelling in Romania playing for BC CSU Sibiu in his second season. The 30-year-old forward is averaging 17.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in the Romanian domestic league, including 16 points and 8 rebounds in his last game against Steaua Bucharest. Philmore, who last played in Germany for EWE Baskets Oldenburg in 2017-18, also has collected 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in the FIBA Europe Cup.
LIVE-VIDEO: Shar-ing is caring, @brosebamberg Edition.
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) December 14, 2019
Alle Spiele der easyCredit BBL gibt es Live und in HD auf https://t.co/ExHRANUQzX#TriumphOderTrauer pic.twitter.com/1Q0n7rU3DJ
RelatedNews
News
Halbfinale ausgelost: Titelverteidiger Bamberg empfängt Finalist Berlin / Oldenburg reist nach Ulm
Club-News
Löwen verpflichten Lucca Staiger / Trennung von Kostja Mushidi aus disziplinarischen Gründen
Pfiff der Woche
