BG Göttingen just barely avoided one of the biggest upsets of the season as Kamar Baldwin drained a jumper with 0.4 seconds left for an overtime victory over medi bayreuth, who played the game with just six players. That thriller definitely overshadowed the battle of the top two teams in the league as Telekom Baskets Bonn blasted FC Bayern Munich. And the week of action also saw EWE Baskets Oldenburg thrice rally from double-digit deficits to knock off NINERS Chemnitz.
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:
Baldwin game-winner breaks Bayreuth’s six-player rotation’s heart in OT
Coming into the weekend, not many people would have picked BG Göttingen at home versus medi bayreuth to provide the most drama of Round 25, but Göttingen absolutely broke Bayreuth’s hearts with a 92-91 overtime win thanks to Kamar Baldwin’s game-winner with 0.4 seconds left. After playing the previous two games with just eight players, Bayreuth head coach Raoul Korner had just six players for the game in Göttingen - none taller than 1.98 meters. The hosts raced away to an 18-point lead in the first quarter and the advantage was 22 points midway through the second quarter. Bayreuth fought back into the game and went ahead late in the third frame. It went back and forth in the fourth quarter with Bayreuth scoring the final four points of regulation including Sacar Anim’s long jumper at the buzzer to force overtime - which was only two points as he had his foot on the three-point line. Neither team led by more than two points in the extra session with Cameron Wells giving the guests the lead 91-90 with 21 seconds to play before Baldwin’s game winner. Göttingen remained on course for the playoffs with a 14-8 record after a third straight win while Bayreuth have lost three in a row and are 11-13. Göttingen took the rebound battle 52-39, including 19 offensive rebounds, and shot 62.5 percent on two-pointers to compensate for hitting just 20.6 percent from long range. Baldwin finished with 30 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists while Jeff Roberson collected 15 points and 12 rebounds, Harald Frey scored 11 points and Jake Toolson and Philipp Hartwich both had 10 points. Anim ended as Bayreuth’s leading scorer with 23 points and Wells had 22 points while Kevin Wohlrath and Janari Joesaar both scored 15 points and Philip Jalapoor had 12 points.
Bonn roll past Bayern in Round 24 makeup, take tiebreaker
The big showdown between the top two teams in the league turned into a blowout as Telekom Baskets Bonn rolled past FC Bayern Munich 96-61 at home in a Round 24 makeup game. Bonn led by 14 points after 10 minutes and just kept turning it on and led by as many as 40 points. Bonn snapped a four-game losing streak against Bayern in improving to 17-7 and taking the tiebreaker as Bayern fell to 18-6. Bonn forced Bayern into 17 turnovers and held them to 40.0 percent shooting and connected on 53.0 percent from the floor themselves. Javontae Hawkins poured in 23 points to lead the winners with Parker Jackson-Cartwright collecting 17 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and Jeremy Morgan adding 14 points. Deshaun Thomas scored 14 points and Darrun Hilliard had 12 as Bayern’s two players in double figures.
Oldenburg thrice rally from double-digit deficit, beat Chemnitz for 15th place
EWE Baskets Oldenburg were not to be denied as they thrice rallied from double-digit deficits to beat NINERS Chemnitz 92-87 at home and jump to 15th place in the standings. Chemnitz led by 10 points early in the second quarter; by 12 points at the beginning of the second half; and by 12 points with 7 minutes left, but they could not hold any of the advantages. Oldenburg went on an 18-4 run in the final frame and then scored the final five points - including four free throws as a result of an unsportsmanlike foul on Frantz Massenat with 14 seconds to play and the game tied. Oldenburg’s win moved them to 7-17 - two wins more than the last two teams in the league - while Chemnitz’s second straight loss dropped them to 15-8. The game was nearly dead-even in the box score though Oldenburg had a 19-11 advantage in se-cond chance points and 19-5 cushion in fast break points. Phil Pressey paced five Oldenburg players in double figures with 20 points with Max Heidegger scoring 19 points, Rickey Paulding adding 16 points and Tai Odiase picking up 15 points. Isiaha Mike was Chemnitz’s leading scorer with 24 points and Massenat ended with 14 points.
PJC guides Bonn to strong road win over Hamburg
Telekom Baskets Bonn proved themselves on the road by picking up an 85-73 victory over Hamburg Towers for their third straight win. Bonn led by 10 points after 10 minutes and at halftime and never let Hamburg into the game in the second half to move to 18-7 with Hamburg falling to 12-11. Bonn’s defense forced Hamburg into 22 turnovers and held them to just 41.2 percent shooting. Parker Jackson-Cartwright paced Bonn with 22 points, 4 assists and 4 steals with Saulius Kulvietis chipping in 14 points and 8 rebounds, Jeremy Morgan scoring 13 points and Michael Kessens tallying 11 points and 6 rebounds. Lukas Meisner led Hamburg with 19 points and 9 rebounds while Justus Hollatz scored 15 points and Caleb Homesley had 14 points.
Martin helps Heidelberg to crucial win over Braunschweig in relegation fight
MLP Academics Heidelberg built up some space between them and the relegation zone as they beat Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 81-78 at home for a three-game cushion from 17th place. Heidelberg took a 10-point lead in the first quarter but the game was back and forth the rest of the way with 20 lead changes and 9 ties. But Braunschweig managed just two free throws over a 4-minute stretch late in the game as Heidelberg opened a 7-point lead with 52 seconds left. The hosts held on to move to 8-14 and Braunschwheig saw their record fall to 9-13. The game was close statistically as well with Heidelberg sinking 23 free throws while Braunschweig made just 16-of-27 from the line for 59.3 percent and Heidelberg shooting just a bit better from the field, 44.4 percent to 42.4 percent. Kelvin Martin paced Heidelberg with 23 points and 9 rebounds while Brekkott Chapman collected 13 points and 11 rebounds and Robert Lowery had 13 points and 7 assists. David Krämer was Braunschweig’s leading scorer with 23 points and Luc van Slooten picked up 12 points and 6 rebounds.
MBC down reeling Frankfurt in important relegation showdown
SYNTAINICS MBC secured an important victory in the relegation battle as they rallied to beat reeling FRAPORT SKYLINERS 81-75. Frankfurt dominated the second quarter 27-14 and took a 14-point lead early in the third quar-ter before the hosts went on a 12-0 fourth quarter run and finished the game with the final six points over the final 2:31 minutes. MBC have now won two straight for an 8-14 record while Frankfurt still cannot get a win, losing their seventh in a row to fall to 5-17. MBC committed only 11 turnovers and shot 47.6 percent from long range while holding Frankfurt to just 27.8 percent on three-pointers. Jamel Morris paced four MBC players in double figures with 19 points while Kostja Mushidi scored 18 points, Goran Huskic picked up 17 points and 10 rebounds and AJ English chipped in 14 points. Matt Haarms scored 22 points to lead Frankfurt and Will Cherry picked up 21 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in the loss.
Göttingen rally to down Frankfurt on road in Round 24 makeup
BG Göttingen showed their metal as they rallied from a big deficit on the road to collect a 73-65 victory at FRAPORT SKYLINERS in a Round 24 makeup game to stay in the playoffs race. Frankfurt were in control with a 13-point third quarter lead but Göttingen fought back with a 23-5 run and gave up just five points in the final 4 minutes. Göttingen have won two straight for a 13-8 mark while Frankfurt lost their sixth in a row to all of 5-16. Göttingen committed only 7 turnovers and used their three-point shooting, hitting 11 triples at 37.9 percent compared to just 31.3 percent on two-pointers. And the guests’ defense held Frankfurt to 36.8 percent shooting for the game including just 19.1 percent from long range. Harald Frey and Kamar Baldwin both scored 18 points and Jake Toolson added 16 points with the trio combining for 10 three-pointers. Jamel McLean paced Frankfurt with 14 points and Lorenz Brenneke chipped in 12 points in the defeat.
Würzburg dominate Crailsheim for home win
s.Oliver Würzburg showed what kind of team they can be as they dominated HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim with a 91-74 home victory. Würzburg pulled away in the second quarter for a 47-32 halftime lead and never looked back to move to 6-17 and Crailsheim fell to 12-9. Würzburg controlled the rebounds, 45 to 23, including 12 offensive rebounds while also holding Crailsheim to 23.5 percent from long range and making 63.2 percent of their two-pointers. Cameron Hunt was unstoppable with 27 points and 11 rebounds for the winners, who had Desi Rodriguez score 15 points and Charles Callison have 10 points. TJ Shorts paced Crailsheim with 19 points, 5 assists and 4 steals and Terrell Harris scored 16 points, but no other Crailsheim player had more than 6 points.
Ludwigsburg too much at home for Bamberg, keep pace with leaders
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg remained a force at home as they dominated Brose Bamberg 95-76 for a 9-1 mark at the MHP Arena and their third straight win. Ludwigsburg started pulling away in the second quarter and then finished the job in the third period to improve to 16-7 and keep pace with the league leaders while Bamberg lost their third in a row for a 9-14 mark. Ludwigsburg dominated the glass 42-25, including 18 offensive rebounds, which led to a 19-5 advantage in second chance points. Ludwigsburg also forced 20 turnovers for Bamberg, who could not use 14 three-pointers to stay in the game. Justin Simon was Ludwigsburg’s leading scorer with 23 points, Tekele Cotton scored 19 points and Rawle Alkins added 14 points. Omar Prewitt paced Bamberg with 16 points and Christian Sengfelder and Justin Robinson both added 14 points in the loss.
Oldenburg beat Bamberg in Round 24 makeup, snap mini losing skid
EWE Baskets Oldenburg snapped a mini two-game losing streak as they worked to get away from the relegation fight with a 106-83 home blowout of Brose Bamberg in a Round 24 makeup game. Bamberg led by 11 points in the second quarter but Oldenburg turned the game around with a 32-20 second quarter and never let Bamberg back into the contest. Oldenburg improved to 6-17 while Bamberg dropped to 9-13. Bamberg committed 19 turnovers and shot 25.0 percent from long range while Oldenburg connected on 54.7 percent from the field and had just 7 turnovers. Max Heidegger collected 33 points and 8 rebounds while TJ Holyfield picked up 16 points and 12 rebounds, Martin Breunig scored 15 points and Tai Odiase added 11 points and 4 blocks. Christian Sengfelder paced Bamberg with 20 points and 9 rebounds and Tomas Kyzlink chipped in 18 points.
Giessen grab big win in relegation fight, downing Bayreuth in Round 24 makeup
JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers picked up a big victory in their fight to avoid relegation as they downed medi bayreuth 95-89 at home in a Round 24 makeup game to snap a three-game losing skid. Bayreuth led by 12 points midway through the third quarter but watched as Giessen reeled off a 23-4 run to improve to 5-16 while Bayreuth fell to 11-12. Giessen shot a blistering 58.3 per-cent from the field including 45.0 percent from long range with Bayreuth hit-ting a solid 52.3 percent for the game. Kendale McCullum tallied 23 points and 8 assists in the win with Nuni Omot scoring 20 points and Philip Fayne adding 11 points. Bayreuth had only eight players with Janari Joesaar leading the way with 26 points while Cameron Wells scored 21 points and Kay Bruhnke chipped in 14 points.
Berlin breeze by Giessen for fifth straight victory
ALBA BERLIN continue to put pressure on the top four teams in the league as the two-time reigning champs breezed by JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 84-58 on the road for their fifth straight win. Berlin grabbed a 23-14 lead after 10 minutes and just rolled the rest of the game for a 15-5 record with Giessen dropping to 5-17 in last place. Berlin forced 20 Giessen turnovers and kept the hosts to just 29.0 percent on two-pointers while shooting 55.7 percent from the field themselves. Tim Schneider was Berlin’s leading scorer with 18 points with Oscar da Silva picking up 17 points and 9 rebounds and Luke Sikma dishing out 11 assists. Nuni Omot was Giessen’s main man with 16 points and 9 rebounds with Florian Koch chipping in 13 points.
Player of the Week
Cameron Hunt grabs Player of the Week honors for Round 25 as he poured in 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting - including 5-of-5 on three-pointers - and 4-of-5 free throws to go with 11 rebounds and 1 assist for an efficiency of 35 in a win over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
German Top Five of the Week
G: David Krämer, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Krämer did all he could but his 23 points - including 3 three-pointers - 3 rebounds and 1 assist were not enough against MLP Academics Heidelberg.
G: Kostja Mushidi, SYNTAINICS MBC
Mushidi played a major role in MBC’s win over FRAPORT SKYLINERS as he collected 18 points - with 3 three-pointers - 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
F: Lukas Meisner, Hamburg Towers
Meisner had another strong game as he picked up 19 points with 3 three-pointers, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block in a loss to Telekom Baskets Bonn.
F: Oscar da Silva, ALBA BERLIN
da Silva was outstanding against JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
C: Christian Sengfelder, Brose Bamberg
Sengfelder was good but not good enough for Bamberg to win as the team lost twice during the week. He tallied 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in the Round 24 loss to EWE Baskets Oldenburg and then had 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists versus MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Young Guns
Lornenz Brenneke, 22, PF, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Brenneke had two strong games for Frankfurt - albeit in two losses. The 22-year-old big man scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and 2-of-3 free throws with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks against BG Göttingen. Brenneke then picked up 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 2-of-2 foul shots, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals versus SYTAINICS MBC.
Kay Bruhnke, 20, SG, medi bayreuth
Bruhnke scored a career-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting (1/4 threes) and 3-of-3 free throws to go with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 29:02 minutes against JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers in a Round 24 makeup game. He did not play against BG Göttingen.
Luc van Slooten, 19, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
van Slooten scored 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting (2/8 threes) and 2-of-3 free throws to go with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in 23:35 minutes against MLP Academics Heidelberg. It was the third game in the last four in double-digit scoring for van Slooten.
Tischlers Watch
The Tischler twins Brandon and Nicholas could not help Basketball Löwen Braunschweig from losing against MLP Academics Heidelberg. Nicholas started the game and collected 4 points on 1-of-2 shooting (0/1 three-pointers) and 2-of-2 free throws, 1 assist and 1 steal in 16:12 minutes. Brandon scored 5 points on 2-of-2 shots (1/1 threes) and finished with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 13:01 minutes.
Lo unstoppable for Berlin … EuroLeague MVP for Round 29
Maodo Lo has been playing at a monster level this season and the ALBA BERLIN playmaker took his game to another level this past week in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Lo was named the MVP of Round 29 for his outstanding showing against Olympiacos Piraeus - a 90-75 win. The 29-year-old poured in a career-high 27 points - hitting 10-of-12 shots including 5-of-6 three-pointers - to go with 5 rebounds and 7 assists. It was the first time Lo was named the MVP of a EuroLeague round in his career. Here are some of his top highlights.
Germans Abroad
Let’s get a shoutout to the women here as German national team star Satou Sabally reached her second straight Women’s EuroLeague Final Four. The 23-year-old helped Fenerbahce Istanbul to a 2-0 sweep of TTT Riga in the Quarter-Finals. Sabally did not play in Game 2 after picking up 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Game 1 victory.
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