This week saw the Round for 16 action in the MagentaSport BBL German Cup and Max Ugrai’s buzzer-beater three-pointer sent MLP Academics Heidelberg into the Quarter-Finals; and reigning champs ALBA BERLIN needed all they could muster in overcoming the TJ Shorts show for Telekom Baskets Bonn. There was one league game and ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES continued their fairytale start to their first season in the easyCredit BBL with a second win in two games.
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:
Ugrai beat OT buzzer, sends Heidelberg past Braunschweig into quarters
MLP Academics Heidelberg are becoming the masters of last-second heroics as Max Ugrai drained a three-pointer at the buzzer for an 85-84 overtime victory at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig to reach the Quarter-Finals of the MagentaSport BBL German Cup. After Eric Washington hit a buzzer-beater in the league against FRAPORT SKYLINERS, Heidelberg pulled away in the third quarter and led by 14 points with 8 minutes left in the game. But Braunschweig mounted a 17-2 run to take the lead and David Krämer converted a four-point play with 16 seconds left to force overtime. In the extra session, Krämer hit a three-pointer to make it 84-82 with 38 seconds to play. Robin Amaize failed to put the game away with 13 seconds, missing both free throws, setting up the heroics from Ugrai, who collected a pass from Washington and hit the corner three for the win. Heidelberg held Braunschweig to just 25.9 percent from long range while committing only 11 turnovers and hitting 24-of-26 free throws. Ugrai set a career high with 25 points in the win with Washington picking up 18 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Krämer finished with 17 points, Amaize tallied 14 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists and Nicholas Tischler collected a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Berlin survive TJ Shorts show, beat Bonn to advance in cup
Reigning champions ALBA BERLIN remained alive in their hopes of defending the MagentaSport BBL German Cup crown with a hard-fought 98-95 victory at home over Telekom Baskets Bonn despite watching TJ Shorts pour in 36 points. The game was tight throughout save for a 10-point lead by Bonn in the second quarter. Bonn led 93-91 with 1 minute to play when Yanni Wetzell evened the game and added two free throws with 20 seconds remaining. Jonas Mattisseck iced the game with 3-of-4 free throws inside the final 8 seconds. Berlin committed just 3 turnovers in the second half to finish with 13 miscues while winning the battle of the glass 39-27 including 15 offensive rebounds, which led to a 16-7 advantage in second chance points. Berlin also made 22-of-29 free throws compared to 11-of-13 for Bonn. Tamir Blatt put together 23 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, Wetzell scored 23 points as well, Louis Olinde picked up 17 points and 8 rebounds and Luke Sikma tallied 8 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists. Shorts also added 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in the loss.
2022 cup finalists Crailsheim use strong third quarter to beat Chemnitz
The 2022 finalists HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim booked their spot in the MagentaSport BBL German Cup Quarter-Finals as they knocked off NINERS Chemnitz 86-72 at home. Crailsheim took over the game with a 25-12 third quarter as Chemnitz committed 22 turnovers and made just 9-of-17 free throws. Edon Maxhuni led five Crailsheim players in double figures with 20 points and Jaren Lewis collected 13 points and 6 rebounds. Mindaugas Susinskas was Chemnitz’s top scorer with 18 points and Arnas Velicka picked up 16 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists.
Frey helps Göttingen beat Ulm again - this at home and in cup
BG Göttingen opened the MagentaSport BBL German Cup just like they did the 2022-23 easyCredit BBL season: with a victory over ratiopharm ulm - this time at home 86-82 thanks to Harald Frey’s late heroics. Ulm, who lost to Göttingen 93-84 in the opening week of the season, led for most of the game and by as many as 11 points in the third quarter. But Frey put on his Superman custom with 11 straight points in an 11-2 run to pull ahead 83-77 with 17 seconds left. Göttingen held Ulm to just 5-of-26 three-pointers (19.2 percent) as the guests have still not won domestically this season. Frey paced the winners with 19 points and 5 assists while Rayshaun Hammonds collected 18 points and 7 rebounds, Till Pape scored 17 points and Mark Smith chipped in 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Karim Jallow scored 25 points to lead Ulm.
Ludwigsburg rally to beat Hamburg again, finally advance in Cup
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg advanced from the opening stage of the MagentaSport BBL German Cup for the first time since the 2016-17 season as they continued their dominance over Veolia Hamburg Towers with a 92-86 road victory. Hamburg led by 11 points in the third quarter before Ludwigsburg put together a 31-17 final frame to beat Hamburg for a seventh straight time and keep alive their dreams of at least getting back to the Semi-Finals like they did six years ago. Hamburg committed 21 turnovers and converted on just 13-of-24 free throws (54.2 percent). Isaiah Whitehead paced the winning side with 21 points and 6 assists, Justin Johnson had 16 points and 6 rebounds and Yorman Polas Bartolo collected 12 points and 14 rebounds. Lukas Meisner was outstanding with 19 points and 9 rebounds but they were not enough for Hamburg.
Bayern roll past Bamberg on road into cup quarters
FC Bayern Munich comfortably advanced to the Quarter-Finals of the MagentaSport BBL German Cup with an 85-68 road victory over Brose Bamberg. The guests took control of the game in the second quarter and were never threatened in the second half. Bayern held Bamberg to just 43.1 percent shooting, including 44.8 percent on two-pointers while shooting 63.3 percent from close range themselves. Corey Walden led Bayern with 20 points and Cassius Winston and Vladimir Lucic both scored 14 points. Justin Wright-Foreman and Jaromir Bohacik both paced Bamberg with 14 points.
Oldenburg fight past Würzburg on road to reach cup quarters
The 2015 MagentaSport BBL German Cup champions EWE Baskets Oldenburg moved into the 2022-23 Quarter-Finals with a hard-fought 91-87 victory at Würzburg Baskets. The game was tight throughout with nine points the biggest advantage and 12 lead changes. Würzburg connected on just 6-of-28 three-pointers (21.4 percent) with Oldenburg hitting seven more triples. Tanner Leissner drained 5 three-pointers for 24 points and DeWayne Russell tallied 14 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists. CJ Bryce poured in 15 points in a losing effort.
Bayreuth finally down SYNTAINICS MBC in German Cup
medi bayreuth reached the Quarter-Finals of the MagentaSport BBL German Cup with a 75-69 road victory over SYNTAINICS MBC, who had eliminated Bayreuth in the cup in 2019 and 2020. The home side led the game most of the way - by as many as 13 points in the third quarter - but Bayreuth finished the game with the final 10 points in the last 2:50 minutes. Bayreuth held the hosts to just 3-of-18 from long range (16.7 percent) and Ahmed Hill paced the winners with 20 points and Brandon Childress tallied 15 points and 5 assists. Lamont Jones scored 19 points as SYNTAINICS MBC’s leading scorer and Martin Breunig added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Cup Quarter-Finals: Berlin head to Göttingen, Bayern host Bayreuth
The match-ups for the Quarter-Finals of the MagentaSport BBL German Cup were drawn and reigning champions ALBA BERLIN will travel to BG Göttingen. The other games have FC Bayern Munich hosting medi bayreuth; EWE Baskets Oldening welcoming MLP Academics Heidelberg; and MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg playing at HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. The games will be played on the December 3-4 weekend.
Rostock shock Ludwigsburg on road for second win
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES’ dream start to their first season in the easyCredit BBL continued as they grabbed their second win in as many games, coming back to surprise MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 102-95 on the road. Rostock trailed by 14 points late in the second quarter but rallied and went on a 9-2 run over 2 minutes late in the game to improve to 2-0 while Ludwigsburg dropped to 2-1. The league debutants made 33-of-36 free throws compared to 11-of-12 for Ludwigsburg. Derrick Alston Jr (29/5/3) Tyler Nelson (20/2/1) and JeQuan Lewis (17/3/7) combined for 66 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Rostock. Prentiss Hubb paced the losing side with 18 points while Justin Johnson had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Ludwigsburg add big man Shonn Miller from Chemnitz
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg added some reinforcements in the low post as they brought in Shonn Miller until the end of the season. The 29-year-old American comes to Ludwigsburg after starting this season with NINERS Chemnitz. The power forward has also played in Greece, Italy, Mexico and Portugal.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week for the German Cup goes to TJ Shorts for his outstanding performance in Telekom Baskets Bonn’s MagentaSport BBL German Cup loss to ALBA BERLIN. The point guard scored 36 points on 15-of-24 shots and 3-of-3 free throws to go with 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals for an efficiency of 41.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Robin Amaize, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Amaize missed two free throws late but still had a major role in keeping Braunschweig in the game against MLP Academics Heidelberg with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.
F: Karim Jallow, ratiopharm ulm
Jallow also couldn’t come out victorious but he had a strong game of 25 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals against BG Göttingen.
F: Louis Olinde, ALBA BERLIN
Olinde did a bit of everything in Berlin’s win over Telekom Baskets Bonn with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block.
F: Max Ugrai, MLP Academics Heidelberg
Ugrai nearly took home Player of the Week honors as he scored 25 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig.
C: Martin Breunig, SYNTAINICS MBC
The final spot goes to Breunig, who collected 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block against medi bayreuth.
Young Guns
Nicholas Tischler, 22, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Tischlerk had a superb game against MLP Academics Heidelberg with 10 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals.
Lukas Herzog, 21, PG, MLP Academics Heidelberg
Herzog continues to find his way with Heidelberg as the former MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg talent scored 8 points on 3-of-6 shooting (2/5 threes) along with 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 12:25 minutes.
Jakob Patrick, 18, SG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Patrick scored 9 points on a perfect 3-of-3 from long range with 1 block in 14:41 minutes against ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES. He picked up 3 points on 1-of-3 shooting from long range with 1 rebound and 1 steal in 13:26 minutes against Veolia Hamburg Towers.
Germans Abroad
Maik Zirbes landed this season with Portuguese powerhouse Benfica Lisbon and the 33-year-old has had a solid start to 2022-23. In his two domestic league games Zirbes has collected 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists and 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. He also had one Basketball Champions League game with 10 points and 4 rebounds against VEF Riga.
RelatedNews
On the Road
Johannes Voigtmann gewinnt italienische Meisterschaft / David Krämer wechselt nach Granada / Ismet Akpinar verlässt Fenerbahce
Europapokal
Am Dienstag: Bayern gegen Barcelona und Oscar da Silva / Hamburg empfängt Ankara
Vorberichte
