FC Bayern Munich got a big boost from new addition Zylan Cheatham, who played a major role in their tough win over medi bayreuth. ALBA BERLIN for their part bounced back from their loss while ratiopharm ulm used their Brazilian power to another victory.
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:
New addition Cheatham saves Bayern in comeback over Bayreuth
FC Bayern Munich fought off a valiant upset attempt by medi bayreuth by coming back for an 80-79 road victory, extending Bayreuth’s losing streak to 10 games. Bayreuth built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and the advantage was 12 points in the second quarter. Bayern led most of the final 15 minutes but trailed 77-76 with 2 minutes left. New addition Zylan Cheatham completed a three-point play and added an extra free throw for the win, which improved Bayern’s record to 16-6 and dropped Bayreuth to 3-19. Bayreuth committed only 8 turnovers but shot just 41.7 percent from the field including 25.0 percent from long range. Othello Hunter and Cheatham led the way with 18 points each, Cassius Winston had 12 points and 6 assists and Isaac Bonga added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Otis Livingston paced Bayreuth with 20 points and 6 assists.
Bayern add Cheatam to help in low post
FC Bayern Munich have added some reinforcements for the low blocks as they added Zylan Cheatam until the end of the season. The 27-year-old forward, who played for Alabama in the G-League before joining Bayern, will give the club help around the basket after injuries to Augustine Rubit and Elias Harris. Cheatam also made six appearances for the United States national team in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers.
Berlin bounce back from Bayern loss, big 4th quarter downs Chemnitz
ALBA BERLIN bounced back from their loss last week to FC Bayern Munich by running away from NINERS Chemnitz in the fourth quarter for a 101-91 home victory. Chemnitz led for most of a close game for three quarters until Berlin mounted a 16-0 run to decide the game and move to 19-2 with Chemnitz dropping to 10-11 with their fourth straight defeat. Berlin survived 21 turnovers by shooting 55.4 percent from the field and making 15 three-pointers. Jaleen Smith scored 18 points to lead Berlin, Johannes Thiemann picked up 15 points and Louis Olinde added 14 points and 7 rebounds. Kevin Yebo had 25 points and 9 rebounds in the loss with Arnas Velicka chipping in 15 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals.
Ludwigsburg grab sixth straight win, remain undefeated vs. Hamburg
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg remained undefeated all time against Veolia Towers Hamburg after collecting an 83-77 road victory to extend their league winning streak to six games. Ludwigsburg took control of the game midway through the second quarter and the lead swelled to 25 points midway through the third quarter. Hamburg managed to make it interesting, getting within 5 points but ended up falling to 8-15 and Ludwigsburg moved to 15-7. Hamburg committed 18 turnovers and shot 44.1 percent for the game including just 26.1 percent from long range. Prentiss Hubb scored 22 points with 5 assists, Justin Johnson had 18 points and Jhonathan Dunn added 17 points. Ryan Taylor led Hamburg with 17 points and fellow reserve Anthony Polite had 16 points as the Hamburg starting five totalled just 31 points.
Ludwigsburg make final signing, add playmaker Kuhse
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg made one final roster change in the final stretch to the playoffs as they added playmaker Tommy Kuhse. The 26-year-old American fills the vacant position from Isaiah Whitehead’s departure. Kuhse had played for Austin in the G-League.
Hamburg add Ryan Taylor as Woodard injury replacement
Veolia Towers Hamburg have added a guard for the final push to save their season by signing Ryan Taylor until the end of the season. The 30-year-old American joins Hamburg after playing with Italian side Germani Brescia.
Hubb, Miller shine in Ludwigsburg win over Bayreuth in Round 13 makeup
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg kept up the pressure in the race for home court advantage in the playoffs by out-scoring medi bayreuth 102-93 at home in a Round 13 makeup to extend their winning streak to five games. Ludwigsburg lost a 10-point first quarter lead and then saw a 15-point third quarter advantage shrink to 4 points early in the fourth. But Ludwigsburg prevailed to improve to 14-7 and Bayreuth fell to 3-18 with a ninth straight loss. Ludwigsburg shot 56.3 percent for the game including 45.8 percent from long range. Prentiss Hubb had a monster game with 28 points and 9 assists while Shonn Miller collected 17 points and 13 rebounds in the victory. Brandon Childress rose to the occasion for Bayreuth with 35 points and 8 assists but Ahmed Hill was the only other teammate in double figures with 14 points.
Brazilian power: Caboclo, dos Santos carry Ulm past Frankfurt
ratiopharm ulm continued their superb run as they came back from a big deficit to pull away from FRAPORT SKYLINERS 94-79 at home. Frankfurt built a 14-point lead in the second quarter but trailed in the third period before Ulm pulled away with a 23-10 final frame. Ulm have won six of the last seven games for a 12-10 record and Frankfurt have lost six straight for a 5-18 mark. Ulm committed only 7 turnovers and buried 16 three-pointers. Bruno Caboclo was unstoppable for Ulm with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but he had plenty of help with Thomas Klepeisz’s 19 points, Robin Christen scoring 13 points and fellow Brazilian Yago dos Santos collecting 12 points and 10 assists. JJ Frazier and Einaras Tubutis both had 14 points and Derek Cooke picked up 11 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
Bonn remain perfect at home, race away from Würzburg
Telekom Baskets Bonn captured their eighth straight win and remained perfect at home in 11 home games by knocking off Würzburg Baskets 94-73. Bonn led by 14 points in the second quarter and Würzburg were within 6 points midway through the third quarter before the hosts ran away to move to 21-2 and Würzburg dropped to 11-12. Bonn shot 54.0 percent for the game and held Würzburg to just 42.9 percent from the field. TJ Shorts did it all for Bonn with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists with Deane Williams and Finn Delaney both scoring 13 points and combining for 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Stanley Whittaker and Collin Welp both scored 14 points in the loss.
Bamberg grab win over Wolfpack, lose Sengfelder to injury
Brose Bamberg extended their winning streak to five games as they outlasted SYNTAINICS MBC 99-95 on the road. The game was close throughout with the hosts holding the only 10-point lead midway through the second quarter. Spencer Reaves drained two three-pointers in the final 98 seconds and Solomon Young iced the game with two free throws with 5 seconds left to move to 12-11 and SYNTAINICS MBC dropped to 9-13. Bamberg won the rebounding battle 41-22 including 19 offensive rebounds to lead to 22 second chance points. Young came off the Bamberg bench for 20 points and 7 rebounds, Reaves scored 19 points and Patrick Miller added 14 points and 5 assists. There was a bitter aftertaste to the win as captain Christian Sengfelder went down with an ankle injury after 5 minutes and left the arena on crutches. Kris Clyburn and Charles Callison both scored 17 points and Tremell Darden had 15 points in the loss.
Rostock still within striking distance of playoffs after win over Crailsheim
Promoted side ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES can still dream of the playoffs after knocking off HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 86-79 at home. Rostock never trailed and were up by 12 points in the second quarter. The game was close in the fourth quarter, Crailsheim down just 3 points with 17 seconds left. But the hosts made 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch to move to 11-12 and Crailsheim fell to 7-16 with a seventh straight loss. Rostock’s defense held Crailsheim to just 42.4 percent shooting including 34.2 percent from long range. JeQuan Lewis buried 5 three-pointers in scoring 26 points with Tyler Nelson and Selom Mawugbe both scoring 14 points. Myles Stephens paced Crailsheim with 19 points and Maurice Stuckey and Bogdan Radosavljevic both added 14 points in the loss.
Two streaks end: Coleman heroics help Heidelberg down Göttingen
MLP Academics Heidelberg snapped a five-game losing streak by grabbing an 84-74 home win over BG Göttingen, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. The game was close until Heidelberg started to take control starting at the end of the third quarter. The lead was up to 14 points midway through the final frame before Göttingen got within 3 points on three occasions, but Tim Coleman made back-to-back three-pointers - the second which turned into a four-point play with 11 seconds to play. That gave Heidelberg an 8-15 record and Göttingen fell to 13-8. Heidelberg committed only 7 turnovers to help make up for shooting just 23.8 percent from long range. Eric Washington paced Heidelberg with 18 points and 6 assists, Bryan Griffin had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Coleman and Jack McVeigh added 14 points each. Javon Bess was Göttingen’s leading scorer with 14 points.
Oldenburg fend off Braunschweig, stay among top four
EWE Baskets Oldenburg remained among the top four teams in the league for home court advantage as they fended off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 83-73 at home for a third consecutive win. Oldenburg led by eight points at halftime and by 12 points after 30 minutes before they pushed the lead to 18 points midway through the final frame. Oldenburg improved to 15-7 and Braunschweig saw their record fall to 6-17. Braunschweig committed 20 turnovers and made just 41.8 percent from the field including 31.0 percent on three-pointers. T.J. Holyfield scored 15 points to lead the winners, who had DeWayne Russell pick up 13 points and 9 assists and Trey Drechsel had 13 points. Dustin Sleva poured in 22 points in the loss, David Krämer had 17 points and Sananda Fru collected 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Player of the Week
Player of the Week honors for Round 23 go to Bruno Caboclo of ratiopharm ulm, who scored 28 points on 11-of-15 shots and 4-of-4 free throws and added 12 rebounds and 2 blocks for an efficiency of 37 against FRAPORT SKYLINERS.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Isaac Bonga, FC Bayern Munich
Bonga played a major role in Bayern’s tough win over medi bayreuth with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.
G: Maurice Stuckey, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Stuckey drained 4 three-pointers for 14 points to go with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block against ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES.
G: Patrick Heckmann, Brose Bamberg
Heckmann had one of his best games of the season with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists against SYNTAINICS MBC.
F: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemitz
Yebo collected 25 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals against ALBA BERLIN.
F: Johannes Thiemann, ALBA BERLIN
Thiemann tallied 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block versus NINERS Chemnitz.
Young Guns
Sananda Fru, 19, PF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig.
Fru starred in the loss to EWE Baskets Oldenburg with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and 3-of-3 free throws, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 5 blocks in 22:11 minutes.
Elias Baggette, 20, PG, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Baggette scored a career-high 9 points on 3-of-3 shooting (1/1 threes) and 2-of-2 free throws along with 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 18:42 minutes against ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES.
Malte Delow, 21, SF, ALBA BERLIN
Delow scored 9 points on 3-of-5 shots with 4 assists in 18:00 minutes against NINERS Chemnitz.
Germans Abroad
Sam Griesel has been excellent all season for Nebraska as he is averaging 12.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals. Griesel, who played for Germany at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2019, scored at least 12 points in his last seven games , including two double-doubles. He picked up 16 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists against Minnesota.
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