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Home/Newscenter/Berlin grab road wins / Elias Harris scored 26 points / MBC sends Bayern to Top Four

Weekly NewsBerlin grab road wins / Elias Harris scored 26 points / MBC sends Bayern to Top Four

16. November 2020
Berlin finally started the defense of the Cup title with a victory over Bonn. The week also saw SYNTAINICS MBC shoot the lights out in a thrilling win over medi bayreuth which sent FC Bayern Munich to the Top Four while Berlin, Bayern, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg and ratiopharm ulm prevailed again in the league. NINERS Chemnitz fans meanwhile still are waiting for their team to play their first ever easyCredit BBL game after another postponement.

– David Hein

Berlin finally started the defense of the Cup title with a victory over Bonn. The week also saw SYNTAINICS MBC shoot the lights out in a thrilling win over medi bayreuth which sent FC Bayern Munich to the Top Four while Berlin, Bayern, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg and ratiopharm ulm prevailed again in the league. NINERS Chemnitz fans meanwhile still are waiting for their team to play their first ever easyCredit BBL game after another postponement.

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:

Berlin start of cup defense with win over Bonn

ALBA BERLIN started their delayed defense of their MagentaSport BBL German Cup title with a 90-82 victory over Telekom Baskets Bonn. The game was tight throughout and Berlin held off Bonn thanks to hitting seven of eight free throws in the final 78 seconds and Bonn going empty-handed in three of their final five possessions. Berlin improved to 1-0 in Group A while Bonn dropped to 2-1, missing a chance to reach the Top Four with a win. Berlin committed only 10 turnovers and made 31-of-39 free throws compared to 17 turnovers and 16-of-23 foul shots for Bonn. Maodo Lo came off the Berlin bench for 16 points and 6 assists while Ben Lammers had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks and Simone Fontecchio scored 14 points. Deividas Gailius tallied 20 points but Bonn’s other four starters combined for just 18 points with Josh Hagins chipping in 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists off the bench.

MBC win offensive spectacle with Bayreuth, send Bayern to cup Top Four

SYNTAINICS MBC prevailed in a thrilling offensive spectacle by knocking off medi bayreuth 123-114 in the MagentaSport BBL German Cup - a victory which sent FC Bayern Munich to the Top Four. MBC led 39-21 after 10 minutes and built a 25-point lead in the third quarter in moving to 2-1 while Bayreuth dropped to 1-1 in Group D. Bayern finished their group play with a 2-1 record. MBC drained 23 three-pointers, hitting 62.2 percent from long range and even-ing Bayern’s record 23 three-pointers which they hit against Tübingen in 2015 in a German league game. Michal Michalak hit 8-of-13 threes for 32 points to lead MBC while Quinton Hooker connected on 5 threes for 26 points to go with 5 rebounds and 12 assists. David Brembly knocked down 5 triples for a career high 24 points and Sergio Kerusch had 4 three-pointers and equalled his career high with 20 points. Bayreuth were paced by Frank Bartley with 25 points while Derek Pardon had 18 points and 6 rebounds.

Berlin blow lead, grab road win over Oldenburg

ALBA BERLIN blew a 20-point second quarter lead but managed to prevail on the road with an 89-86 victory at EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Berlin also led by 18 points late in the third quarter but watched as Oldenburg tied the game with 3 minutes to play. Simone Fontecchio scored after an Oldenburg turnover with 52 seconds left to secure the game and Berlin’s 2-0 record in the league while Oldenburg fell to 1-1. Berlin lost the rebound battle 43-25 but they committed only five turnovers compared to 17 for Oldenburg. Marcus Eriksson drained 5-of-6 three-pointers for 19 points while Fontecchio had 16 points, Jayson Granger collected 14 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals and Luke Sikma chipped in 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Sebastian Herrera led Oldenburg in scoring with 14 points while Rickey Paulding and Phil Pressey had 13 points each.

Bayern need time but roll past Frankfurt on road

FC Bayern Munich needed some time but then rolled past FRAPORT SKYLINERS on the road with a convincing 75-52 victory. Bayern trailed by 10 points in the first quarter and didn’t take the lead until midway through the third quarter. But Munich gave up just 18 points in the second half and just 6 in the fourth quarter in moving to 2-0 and sending Frankfurt to a 0-2 record. Bayern won the rebound battle 45-31 including 15 offensive rebounds and limited Frankfurt to just 34.0 percent from the field, including 21.1 percent from long range. Paul Zipser was Bayern’s only player in double figures with a career-high 24 points and 7 rebounds while Jon Axel Gudmundsson paced Frankfurt with 11 points and the other four starters combined for only 14 points.

Ludwigsburg nearly waste big lead, down Bonn on road

MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg nearly wasted a 15-point lead but managed to down Telekom Baskets Bonn 86-82 on the road to move to 2-0 in the league. Jaleen Smith’s free throws with 11 seconds secured the win - and Bonn falling to 0-1. Ludwigsburg connected on 64.3 percent from two-point range and kept Bonn to 41.5 percent from the field. Elias Harris poured in 26 points for the winners while Smith had 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. James Thompson, Benjamin Lischka and Deividas Gailius all scored 13 points for Bonn.

Ulm race past Bayreuth for second straight win

ratiopharm ulm collected their second victory in as many games as they raced past medi bayreuth 104-76 at home. Ulm were up 30-18 after 10 minutes and were never threatened the rest of the way in moving to 2-0 in the league with Bayreuth falling to 0-1. Ulm shot a blistering 70.6 from two-point range and held Bayreuth to 46.8 percent from the field. Bayreuth were playing their third game in four days - the other two were German Cup contests. Six Ulm players scored in double figures, paced by Dylan Osetkowski and Troy Caupain with 18 points each. John Petrucelli collected 16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists and Aric Holman scored 13 points. Osvaldas Olisevicius led Bayreuth with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

Würzburg win at Vechta for first victory of season

s.Oliver Würzburg finally collected their first victory of the season by defeating RASTA Vechta 88-80 on the road. Wüzrburg improved to 1-1 in the league after losing all three German Cup contests and their season debut while Vechta fell to 0-2. Würzburg turned the ball over only 10 times and held Vechta to 41.5 percent shooting and 25.0 percent from long range. Tayler Persons led the way for the winners with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals while Zach Smith had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Jordan Barnett was Vechta’s top scorer with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists and Jean Salumu picked up 17 points and 4 assists in the loss.

Crailsheim down Bayreuth in cup - with head coach in quarantine

HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim finished off their MagentaSport BBL German Cup campaign with an 81-77 victory over medi bayreuth - in a game where neither team could advance to the Top Four. Crailsheim’s head coach Tuomas Iisalo was in self-isolation after coming in contact with a person infected with Covid-19 and was replaced by his brother and assistant coach Joonas Iisalo. Crailsheim led for most of the game but won the game thanks to a layup by Trae Bell-Haynes with 66 seconds left to make it 78-73. Both teams ended Group D play with 1-2 records. Crailsheim held Bayreuth to just 41.5 percent from the field including 22.2 percent from long range. Bogdan Radosavljevic collected 14 points and 5 rebounds in his debut for Crailsheim while Haywood Highsmith also had 14 points and 5 rebounds and Bell-Haynes picked up 9 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists. Bayreuth were paced by Ryan Woolridge with 19 points.

Göttingen fend off Braunscheig for home win

BG Göttingen picked up their first victory in the easyCredit BBL this season by fending off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 79-76 at home. Braunschweig had the biggest lead of the game - 10 points in the third quarter - but Luke Nelson hit the game-winning three-pointer with 8.5 seconds left. Göttingen were out-rebounded 43-32 but connected on 64.5 percent of their two-point shots and kept the Braunschweig offense in check at just 38.7 percent from the field. Göttingen, who moved to 1-1, were led by Nelson’s 21 points and 9 assists while Tai Odiase scored 19 points. Braunschweig, who are now 0-2, got 22 points from Bryon Allen and Karim Jallow picked up 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

Crailsheim win first league game of season over MBC

HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim collected their first win of the easyCredit BBL season by easing past SYNTAINICS MBC 84-66 on the road. Crailsheim led 44-33 at the break and were never challenged rest of the way in moving to 1-0 with MBC now at 0-1. Crailsheim was guided by Joonas Iisalo as his brother and head coach Tuomas Iisalo was still in self-isolation. Crailsheim hit 61.3 percent on 2-pointers and held MBC to just 32.8 percent from the field and just 6 assists. Trae Bell-Haynes was dominant for Crailsheim with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists and Bodgan Radosavljevic picked up 19 points and 7 rebounds. Quinton Hooker and Michal Michalak both scored 15 points for MBC.

Chemnitz still waiting for easyCredit BBL debut

Two Round 2 games were postponed due to positive tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. NINERS Chemnitz are still waiting for their first-ever game in the easyCredit BBL as their game at Brose Bamberg was postponed. JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers still haven’t played this season either as their game at Hamburg Towers will also be played later. No rescheduling dates have yet been announced.

Player of the Week

Trae Bell-Haynes played a big role in HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim’s win over SYNTAINICS MBC and took over Player of the Week honors. He collected an efficiency of 30 as he scored 23 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with 13-of-15 free throws along with 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

German Top Five of the Week

G: Maodo Lo, ALBA BERLIN

Lo was big in Berlin’s German Cup win over Telekom Baskets Bonn with 16 points and 6 assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Against EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the league the German international had just 3 points on 1-of-8 shooting but he made a free throw with 1.4 seconds left to ice the game and also had 7 assists, 2 steals and 0 turnovers.

F: David Brembly, SYNTAINICS MBC

Brembly had a game for the ages as he drained 5 three-pointers in scoring a career high 24 points to go with 5 rebounds and 3 steals in MBC’s win over medi bayreuth in the German Cup. He also collected 7 points and 8 rebounds in the league against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.

F: Paul Zipser, FC Bayern Munich

Zipser set a career high in points as he poured in 24 points and also picked up 7 rebounds in Munich’s convincing win over FRAPORT SKYLINERS.

F: Elias Harris, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg

Harris continued his excellent start with Ludwigsburg as he collected 26 points on 11-of-12 shooting and also chipped in 3 rebounds and 1 block against Telekom Baskets Bonn. The 26 points were one point off his career high.

C: Bogdan Radosavljevic, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim

Radosavljevic had a great debut for Crailsheim as he picked up 14 points and 5 rebounds against medi bayreuth in the German Cup. The German big man then tallied 19 points and 7 rebounds versus SYNTAINICS MBC in the league.

Young Guns

Lukas Herzog, 19, PG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg

Herzog played a big role in Ludwigsburg’s win over Telekom Baskets Bonn with 9 points on 2-of-4 three-pointers and 3-of-5 free throws to go along with 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 16:57 minutes. The 19-year-old set new career highs with points and rebounds.

Bruno Vrcic, 19, SG, FRAPORT SKYLINERS

Vrcic continued his strong start to the season as the 19-year-old connected on 3-of-4 shots, including 2-of-2 three-pointers for 9 points and also grabbed 1 rebound in 12:55 minutes against his former team FC Bayern Munich.

Len Schoormann, 18, PG, FRAPORT SKYLINERS

Schoormann collected 5 points on 1-of-1 shots and 3-of-4 free throws in 17:49 minutes against FC Bayern Munich.

Germans Abroad

German women’s star Satou Sabally missed the Germany’s two games in the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2021 qualifiers in the bubble in Riga, Latvia because she contracted Covid-19. She posted on Instagram that she had gotten past the worst phase and feels better. Sabally is playing for Fenerbahce Istanbul while waiting for the WNBA to be played and plans to return to Turkey once it’s safe to do so. Germany won their two qualifiers - defeating Latvia 73-67 and North Macedonia 74-59 - to improve to 3-1 in their group.