Würzburg Baskets' number one-ranked defense was on display as they shut down Telekom Baskets Bonn for a 97-78 home victory in Round 11 to continue their rise up the standings. Otis Livingston paced six Würzburg players in double figures with 21 points as Würzburg also used a season-best offensive explosion to win their third straight game and fourth in the last five to improve to 6-4. Würzburg set the tone with 34-16 first quarter and never looked back. Bonn have now lost three in row - including the German BBL Cup Quarter-Finals loss to FC Bayern Munich - and fell to 7-5. Noah Kirkwood scored 18 points to lead Bonn.
Game Summary: Isaiah Washington drained two three-pointers in an early 16-0 run in pushing the hosts ahead 16-3. Würzburg continued to get stops and extended the cushion to 23-7 with Otis Livingston hitting his second triple. Brian Fobbs tallied 5 points for Bonn, but Würzburg just kept scoring with Washington knocking down a three-pointer at the first quarter buzzer for a 34-26 lead after 10 minutes. The 34 points was the most Würzburg have scored in a single quarter this season, topping the 33 points they poured in against Veolia Towers Hamburg in Round 2 in the third quarter.
Würzburg needed more than 2 minutes to score in the second quarter but the hosts’ defense remained strong. That allowed Würzburg to increase the advantage to 41-18 midway through the period. Bonn could not get closer than 19 points the rest of the first half and Würzburg went into intermission ahead 46-27. The first half was Bonn’s lowest scoring half this season after having tallied 28 points in the first half against Tigers Tübingen in Round 1.
Bonn started the second half strong with the first 4 points to get the gap to 15 points. Würzburg’s star duo Livingston and Washington answered to get the hosts going. Both sides were able to score easier so that Bonn couldn’t make a dent in the deficit. And Javon Bess’s triple extended the lead to 21 points - 64-43 - with less than 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Bonn could not get closer than 16 points the rest of the frame and Würzburg led 70-50 after 30 minutes.
After Würzburg started the final period with a three-pointer, Bonn managed back-to-back scores and the score was down to 73-55. But the Würzburg shooters just kept hitting - Darius Perry, Livingston and Bess all hitting from deep - as the lead swelled to 84-59 with 5 minutes to go. Bonn could not come close to challenging the rest of the way as Würzburg’s defense was too strong.
Numbers Please: Würzburg buried 15 three-pointers and also shot 63.3 percent on two-pointers. The hosts also held Bonn to just 43.1 percent shooting including 30.0 percent from long range.
Player of the Game: Würzburg had six players in double figures scoring, but the main man was … no surprise … Otis Livingston as the point guard scored 21 points to go with 1 rebound, 7 assists and 1 steal while committing only 1 turnover.
The Germans: Würzburg’s Collin Welp apparently likes playing against Bonn as he poured in 11 points to go with 2 rebounds and 1 steals - a season high scoring output for the 25-year-old whose career high is 14 points against Bonn in March 2023. Max Ugrai added 9 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist for the winners. Till Pape picked up 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist for Bonn and Christian Sengfelder contributed 4 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist.
Also Newsworthy: Würzburg came into the game with the second-lowest scoring offense at just 78.8 points per game. Against Bonn, Livingston and Co. poured in a season-high 97 points - topping the 93 points Sasa Filipovski's team scored in the First Round of the German BBL Cup against PS Karlsruhe LIONS. Bonn's 78 points meanwhile were 11.3 points fewer than their average of 89.3 coming into the game.
Also Newsworthy Part II: Würzburg once again won a game with one really big quarter - taking the first quarter 34-16. It was the team’s sixth win in the league - all of them coming with one difference making period. In Round 2, it was a 33-15 third quarter against Hamburg, followed by a 28-16 second quarter versus Braunschweig in Round 4. In Round 7 versus Heidelberg, Würzburg took the first quarter 26-9 and then came a 27-15 third quarter against Weißenfels in Round 9 and a 27-16 second quarter in Round 10 versus Vechta.
What's Up Next: Würzburg head back on the road for their next contest as they play at HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim on Saturday December 23. Bonn next face a massive game in the Basketball Champions League as they travel to Spanish side Rio Breogan on Wednesday December 20 for the final contest in the second group stage with spots in the Play-Ins or Round of 16 at stake. Bonn’s next game in the league is also on December 23 when they host Veolia Towers Hamburg.
Video: Highlights of this game will be available soon on Dyn's website or here on Dyn's YouTube channel.
Anmerkung: In der Saison 2023/24 werden wie hier auch gelegentlich Nachberichte in englischer Sprache verfasst.
Note: During the 2023-24 season, there will occasionally be game reports published in English.
