– David Hein
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim pulled the upset of the week as they downed ALBA BERLIN for their fifth straight win. The biggest news off the court was s.Oliver Würzburg extending their contract with head coach Denis Wucherer until 2022. Round 22 saw plenty of local derbies, including EWE Baskets Oldenburg kno-cking off RASTA Vechta while Brose Bamberg beat Würzburg and FC Bayern Munich defeated medi bayreuth.
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:
Crailsheim shock Berlin with big fourth quarter
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim continued their strong season as they shocked ALBA BERLIN 91-82 at home with a big fourth quarter. Crailsheim trailed by 10 points in the third quarter but then started the fourth quarter with a 16-2 run for an 81-69 lead and carried it to a fifth straight win for a 15-6 record for third place. Berlin had their three-game winning streak snapped for a 14-5 mark for fourth place. Crailsheim committed only 11 turnovers to 15 for Berlin while holding the guests to 31.8 percent shooting from long range. DeWayne Russell was outstanding for the hosts with 22 points, 3 rebounds and 12 assists while Sebastian Herrera had 15 points and 4 rebounds, Quincy Ford and Jeremy Morgan both scored 15 points and Aaron Jones added 13 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Martin Hermannsson picked up 22 points and 9 assists and Niels Giffey had 14 points as Berlin’s only other player in double figures.
Ludwigsburg prevail in Ulm to extend streak
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg prevailed at ratiopharm ulm 94-76 to extend their winning streak to five games. Ulm led by 12 points in the first quarter but then were down by 14 in the second quarter. Ludwigsburg led by four points early in the fourth before running away to move to 17-4. Ulm have dropped three of the last four games to fall to 10-10. Ludwigsburg held Ulm to just 37.1 percent from the field including 20.7 percent from long range and won the rebound battle 53-43 including 21 offensive rebounds while committing only seven turnovers. Jaleen Smith paced Ludwigsburg with 19 points and 9 rebounds while Khadeen Carrington scored 19 points and Marcos Knight collected 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Grant Jerrett picked up 24 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks for Ulm, who also saw Archie Goodwin tally 22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and Killian Hayes chip in 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.
Oldenburg hold on for home win over Vechta
EWE Baskets Oldenburg picked up a big victory in the fight for home court advantage in the playoffs by holding off RASTA Vechta 83-76 at home. Oldenburg used a 20-9 second quarter to build a 20-point lead only to see it melt to four points in the fourth before winning their third game in the last four for a 13-7 record for fifth place. Vechta have lost two of three for a 12-9 mark in sixth place. Oldenburg committed only 10 turnovers and shot 59.1 percent on two-pointers while holding Vechta to 42.9 percent from the field. Rickey Paulding poured in 23 points with 5 three-pointers for Oldenburg while Tyler Larson picked up 23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and Rasid Mahalbasic added 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Steve Vasturia was Vechta’s top scorer with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists while Michael Kessens tallied 15 points, 13 rebounds and 2 steals.
Vecta add veteran playmaker Dowdell after Young injury
RASTA Vechta reacted to the injury to Josh Young by signing veteran point guard Zabian Dowdell until the end of the season. The Vechta captain Young will miss a number of weeks, so Vechta added the 35-year-old Dowdell, who played most recently with Italian top flight side OriOra Pistoia. In addition to playing in the United States and Italy, Dowdell has also played in Spain, Russia, Lithuania and Belgium.
Bamberg win Franconia showdown of playoffs aspirants with Würzburg
Brose Bamberg prevailed in the battle of Franconia playoff aspirants with a 95-77 away victory over s.Oliver Würzburg. Bamberg trailed by 10 points early in the second half but used a 32-10 fourth quarter to move to 12-9 in seventh place. Würzburg have dropped four of five but are still eighth at 11-10. Wurzburg made only 4-of-5 free throws and committed 16 turnovers to six turnovers for Bamberg, who made 17-of-22 free throws. Jordan Crawford led Bamberg with 23 points while Kam Taylor picked up 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals off the bench, fellow reserve Retin Obasohan had 16 points and Assem Marei chipped in 13 points and 8 rebounds. Luke Fischer had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists for Würzburg while Cameron Wells tallied 16 points and 7 assists and Skyler Bowlin added 12 points and 6 assists.
Würzburg extend deal with head coach Wucherer until 2022
s.Oliver Würzburg gave their fans a reason to celebrate before the game against Brose Bamberg as they announced a contract extension with head coach Denis Wucherer until 2022. The 46-year-old coach is in his second season with Würzburg, who reached the final of the FIBA Europe Cup last season.
Bayern dominate fourth quarter to down Bayreuth on road
FC Bayern Munich used a strong fourth quarter to put away medi bayreuth 91-75 on the road. Bayern led by 17 points late in the first half but the game was tied after 30 minutes before Bayern started the fourth quarter with a 11-0 run in taking the final frame 31-15. It was Bayern’s second straight win for a 19-2 record while Bayreuth have lost two in a row for a 9-12 record. Both teams committed only nine turnovers while Bayern shot 55.6 percent from the field including 42.9 percent from long range to make up for losing the rebound battle 35-24 while also holding Bayreuth to just 17.4 percent from the outside. Vladimir Lucic was Bayern’s top scorer with 18 points and 4 rebounds while Danilo Barthel scored 15 points, Paul Zipser had 14 points and Greg Monroe picked up 12 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists. James Robinson paced Bayreuth with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists while Reid Travis had 14 points and 5 rebounds and James Woodard contributed 13 points and 6 assists.
Braunschweig down MBC on road to stay in playoffs race
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig stayed in the playoffs race by downing SYNTAINICS MBC 95-89 on the road. Braunschweig trailed only briefly late in the first quarter and built a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter for the win to move to 9-11. MBC have lost nine of their last 10 games to fall to 3-17. Braunschweig shot 55.0 percent from the field and held MBC to just 21.1 percent on three-pointers. Scott Eatherton could not be stopped for Braunschweig with 28 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals while Trevor Releford contributed 22 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists and Karim Jallow added 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Jovan Novak paced MBC with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, Joey Dorsey had 18 points and 9 rebounds, Kaza Kajami-Keane had 17 points and Tremmell Darden scored 16 points.
Frankfurt snap skid with win over Giessen in Hessen derby
FRAPORT SKYLINERS snapped a six-game losing streak as they defeated JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 90-82 on the road in the Hessen derby. Frankfurt built a 17-point lead in the second quarter and never trailed the rest of the way, though Giessen did pull close in the third quarter. By ending their skid, Frankfurt moved to 6-15. Giessen have dropped four straight and are 6-14. Frankfurt shot 60.0 percent on two-pointers and won the rebound battle 43-27 while holding Giessen to just 45.2 percent on twos. Leon Kratzer was outstanding for Frankfurt with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks while Lamont Jones tallied 23 points and 7 assists and Shaquille Hines had 15 points and 9 rebounds. Matthew Tiby was Giessen’s top weapon with 18 points and 5 assists with Stephen Brown chipping in 17 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and Brandon Thomas adding 12 points, 4 rebound and 5 assists.
Göttingen bombs way past Hamburg at home, stays close to playoffs
BG Göttingen used their three-point shooting attack to get past Hamburg Towers 101-95 at home. Göttingen led by 24 points late in the first half but watched the advantage dwindle down to five points in the fourth before securing their third straight win for an 11-10 record. Hamburg have lost eight straight for a 3-17 record. Göttingen, playing without the suspended Dylan Osetkowski, made 16-of-35 (45.7 percent) on three-pointers and forced 17 Hamburg turnovers and held the guests to 36.7 percent from long range. Elias Lasisi came off the Göttingen bench for 19 points with 4 three-pointers while Kyan Anderson collected 15 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists and 3 steals and Terry Allen had 15 points. Michael Carrera was outstanding for Hamburg with 31 points and 9 rebounds while Yannick Franke scored 16 points off the bench and Jorge Gutierrez chipped in 6 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists in the loss.
Player of the Week
This week’s Player of the Week goes to Michael Carrera of Hamburg Towers, who could not keep his team from losing at BG Göttingen despite 31 points on 13-of-17 shooting and 4-of-4 free throws to go with 9 rebounds 1 assist and 8 fouls drawn for an efficiency of 36.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Sebastian Herrera, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Herrera was outstanding for Crailsheim in the big win over ALBA BERLIN with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
F: Karim Jallow, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Jallow played a major role in Braunschweig’s victory over SYNTAINICS MBC as he collected 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
F: Danilo Barthel, FC Bayern Munich
Barthel helped Bayern pick up the road win over medi bayreuth by tallying 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
C: Michael Kessens, RASTA Vechta
Kessens did all he could but his 15 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals were not enough in a loss against EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
C: Leon Kratzer, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Kratzer was dominant for Frankfurt in their big win over JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers in scoring 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting and 5-of-8 free throws to go with 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks.
LIVE-VIDEO: Die @cr_merlins zeigen wenig Verständnis für den engen Spielplan von @albaberlin und holen sich die 22:21-Führung nach zehn Minuten. #easyCreditBBL pic.twitter.com/9FPeQLYCfL
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) March 8, 2020
Young Guns
Filip Stanic, 22, C, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Stanic made his debut with Oldenburg and he played well, collecting 2 points on 1-of-1 shooting, 2 rebounds and 1 turnover in 7:58 minutes against RASTA Vechta.
Joshua Obiesie, 19, PG, s.Oliver Würzburg
Obiesie continues to get more production as he picked up 5 points on 2-of-7 shots, 2 assists and 1 turnover in 12:41 minutes against Brose Bamberg. It was the fifth straight game of scoring at least five points for the 19-year-old - including 11 or more minutes in four of those games.
Ariel Hukporti, 17, C, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Hukporti picked up 4 points on 2-of-2 shooting with 2 rebounds in 8:49 minutes against ratiopharm ulm.
Mattisseck Check
Jonas Mattisseck did a good job of managing his game as he collected 3 points on 1-of-3 shots, including 1-of-2 three-pointers, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 16:46 minutes of the start against RASTA Vechta. The 20-year-old point guard did not commit a turnover in the second straight game.
Germans Abroad
After a slow start to his freshman season in college basketball, Isaiah Ihnen is starting to shine for Minnesota. The former Tübingen talent collected 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks in 17 minutes against Nebraska. It was the sixth consecutive game of playing at least 15 minutes - a stretch which also included 9 points on 3-of-3 three-pointers, 5 rebounds and 1 assist against Indiana and 6 points and 10 rebounds against Wisconsin.
LIVE-VIDEO: Da klingelt's - Joshua Obiesie ohne Gnade mit der Sirene für die 24:21-Führung für @soliver_wue! #easyCreditBBL pic.twitter.com/gPhvdZdDUV
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) March 6, 2020
