This week was dedicated to the Round of 16 of the BBL German Cup and the biggest highlight was Tommy Kuhse winning the game at the buzzer for RASTA Vechta in a double-overtime win over BG Göttingen. Reigning champions FC Bayern Munich ousted EWE Baskets Oldenburg and Savion Flagg scored on a tip-in with 0.9 seconds left to carry Telekom Baskets Bonn into the Quarter-Finals.
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:
Vechta dream continues with home Quarter vs Bamberg; Bayern face Bonn
The pairings for the BBL German Cup Quarter-Finals have been drawn with the reigning champions FC Bayern Munich heading to play Telekom Baskets Bonn and surprise outfit RASTA Vechta will host Bamberg Baskets. The other two games are NINERS Chemnitz hosting ratiopharm ulm; and ALBA BERLIN traveling to SYNTAINICS MBC. The Quarter-Finals will take place December 9-10, 2023 with the Semi-Finals on February 17 and 18, 2024.
Kuhse calls game: Vechta down Göttingen in 2 OT-thriller
RASTA Vechta’s fairytale start to the season went to another chapter by beating BG Göttingen 101-99 in a double overtime thriller with Tommy Kuhse hitting the game winner at the buzzer to reach the Quarter-Finals of the BBL German Cup. The game went back and forth throughout with 15 lead changes and 13 ties and the biggest advantage being 6 points. Göttingen were down 5 points in the final 30 seconds of regulation but Bodie Hume hit a three-pointer and then Karlis Silins banked in a triple off the glass at the buzzer to force overtime. Kuhse stepped up with a layup with 4 seconds to go to send the game to a second overtime and then the point guard broke down Grant Anticevich and drained the game-winner jumper at the buzzer for the win. Vechta have not lost this season - three games in the easyCredit BBL and two cup games - while Göttingen suffered their first loss domestically. Vechta committed only 7 turnovers and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds to just 6 for Göttingen, leading to a 22-8 advantage in second chance points.
Kuhse poured in 37 points and 10 assists and Wes Iwundu scored 22 points in the win. Silins paced Göttingen with 28 points, Hume had 21 points and 11 rebounds and Umoja Gibson chipped in 15 points and 7 assists.
Reigning champs Bayern oust Oldenburg with stellar showing
FC Bayern Munich took the first step in defending their BBL German Cup crown as the ousted EWE Baskets Oldenburg 101-73 at home. Bayern raced ahead 32-20 after 10 minutes and never slowed down. Bayern converted 54.0 percent of their shots including 15 three-pointers and Oldenburg shot just 32.8 percent for the game. Carsen Edwards collected 20 points, Serge Ibaka had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks and Sylvain Francisco tallied 11 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Charles Manning came off the Oldenburg bench for a team high 15 points and Brekkott Chapman had 14 points.
Flagg tip-in rewards Bonn for comeback win at Ludwigsburg
Telekom Baskets Bonn fought back from a big deficit to beat MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 80-79 on the road as Savion Flagg tipped in Glynn Watson’s miss with 0.9 seconds left. Bonn fell behind by 12 points in the first quarter and Ludwigsburg built a 16 point cushion late in the third quarter. But Bonn came back in the final frame. The guests led 78-73 with 76 seconds left but Ludwigsburg scored the next six points - taking the lead on Jayvon Graves’ layup with 8.3 seconds left - setting up Flagg’s heroics. Bonn shot 61.1 percent on two-pointers and turned a 14-9 advantage in offensive rebounds into a 15-6 cushion on second chance points. Watson finished with 21 points and 8 assists for Bonn, Ike Udanoh scored 15 points and 7 rebounds and Flagg chipped in 11 points, 8 rebounds and the game-winner. Graves had 19 points as Ludwigsburg’s leading scorer with Deion Hammond adding 13 points off the bench.
Ludwigsburg sign combo guard Melson
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg reacted to their on-going backcourt problems and added combo guard Silas Melson for the rest of the season. The 27-year-old American started the season with Turkish side Socar Petkimspor, where he was averaging 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists through three games. Ludwigsburg had signed former NBA guard Marcus Garrett but released him after just three days. The club is dealing with injuries to Deion Hammond and Jeff Roberson.
Ulm waste lead, fend off Würzburg to reach quarters
ratiopharm ulm wasted a 14-point fourth quarter lead but still managed to fend off Würzburg Baskets 76-72 on the road to book a spot in the BBL German Cup Quarter-Finals. Ulm temporarily took control of the game with a 16-2 run late in the second quarter. But the reigning league champs lost a 14-point fourth quarter lead before scoring the final 4 points of the game. Ulm’s defense held Würzburg to just 38.0 percent shooting including 17.2 percent on three-pointers as well as forcing 22 turnovers. LJ Figueroa led Ulm with 19 points and Tommy Klepeisz scored 10 points. Zachary Seljaas had a strong double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds and Otis Livingston added 12 points in the defeat.
Chemnitz roll past Giessen, bounce final ProA team from Cup
NINERS Chemnitz bounced the final team from the ProA second division in the BBL German Cup, rolling past JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 89-64 at home to reach the Quarter-Finals. Chemnitz raced away 29-17 after 10 minutes and it was never close the rest of the way. Chemnitz held Giessen to just 37.3 percent shooting including 38.1 percent on two-pointers. Giessen also committed 24 turnovers. Kaza Kajami-Keane scored 24 points with 6 assists, Kevin Yebo had 20 points and 5 rebounds and Brendan Bailey added 14 points in the win. Duane Wilson paced Giessen with 15 points.
Chemnitz sign Kenyan wing Ongwae
NINERS Chemnitz added some reinforcements for the wing after the injury to Dominic Lockhart as they signed Kenyan international Tylor Ongwae until the end of the season. The 32-year-old played last season in Russia for Parma-Pari Perm after four seasons with Danish powers Bakken Bears.
Bamberg not rusty after 13 days between games, ease past Hamburg
Bamberg Baskets eased into the Quarter-Finals of the BBL German Cup with an 80-64 away victory over Veolia Towers Hamburg - Bamberg’s first game in 13 days since October 2. Bamburg never trailed and saw the hosts make it close after a 13-point second quarter lead before putting it away with a 22-14 fourth quarter. Hamburg shot 34.4 percent from the field including just 14.7 percent from long range and Bamberg outscored Hamburg 40-22 in the paint to help make up for 22 turnovers. Trey Woodbury paced Bamberg with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, Adrian Nelson scored 16 points and Filip Stanic added 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Mark Hughes came off the Hamburg bench to lead the team with 14 points.
SYNTAINICS MBC still in BBL German Cup after fighting past Heidelberg
SYYNTAINICS MBC are winless in the easyCredit BBL but reached the Quarter-Finals of the BBL German Cup by beating MLP Academics Heidelberg 98-94 at home. The home side used an 8-0 spurt to take a 12-point lead in the second quarter and the advantage was as many as 16 points. Heidelberg closed the gap to 88-87 with under 3 minutes left, but Diante Baldwin made 4-of-4 free throws in the final 29 seconds. SYNTAINICS MBC made 55.6 percent from the field including 68.6 percent on two-pointers and Heidelberg made just 24.2 percent from long range. Johnathan Stove led the hosts in scoring with 21 points while Martin Breunig, Kostja Mushidi and Baldwin all had 15 points. Vincent Kesteloot had 19 points to top-score for Heidelberg and Jeffrey Carroll added 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
Berlin bounce Braunschweig with two middle quarters
ALBA BERLIN booked their spot in the Quarter-Finals of the BBL German Cup as they bounced Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 96-71 at home. Berlin took the second quarter 28-17 and never looked back. Berlin held Braunschweig to just 41.2 percent shooting including 30.8 percent from long range, and the hosts made 63.9 percent on two-pointers. Johannes Thiemann led Berlin in scoring with 20 points, Matt Thomas had 16 points and Tim Schneider added 11 points. Jilson Bango tallied 17 points and 7 rebounds as Braunschweig’s top performer. Ferdinand Zylka chipped in 14 points off the bench.
Tübingen down three players for multiple weeks
Tigers Tübingen did not play this week but they are in the news as the promoted side is dealing with a rash of injuries. Forward Christoph Philipps had to undergo knee surgery and will miss multiple weeks, as will guard Aatu Kivimaki, who is out with a left foot injury. And center Kriss Helmanis will be out at least two weeks with a bruised shoulder.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week honors for the Round of 16 of the BBL German Cup go to Tommy Kuhse of RASTA Vechta for the point guard’s fantastic performance against BG Göttingen. Kuhse scored 37 points on 13-of-23 shots - including 5-of-9 three-pointers - and 6-of-7 free throws to go with 6 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals for an efficiency of 44.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Zach Ensminger, BG Göttingen
Ensminger makes this list again as he picked up 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 asiststs in 29:20 minutes against RASTA Vechta.
G: Ferdinand Zylka, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Ferdinand Zylka played well against his former team ALBA BERLIN in scoring 14 points on 4 three-pointers.
F: Johannes Thiemann, ALBA BERLIN
This will be a big team this week with Thiemann getting a spot after scoring 20 points to go with 6 rebounds. 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig.
C: Martin Breunig, SYNTAINICS MBC
Breunig played a major role in the Wolfpack beating MLP Academics Heidelberg with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assists and 1 block.
C: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Yebo helped Chemnitz grab another victory - this time at ProA side JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers - with 20 points 5 rebounds and 1 assist.
Young Guns
Johann Grünloh, 18, C, RASTA Vechta
Grünloh continues to play well in his first taste with the pro side in the top flight and the 18-year-old had 6 points on 2-of-6 shots and 2-of-2 free throws, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in 26:07 minutes against BG Göttingen.
Linus Ruf, 18, C, ALBA BERLIN
Ruf made his debut with Berlin’s pro team in the BBL German Cup game against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and he scored 6 points on 2-of-4 shots and 2-of-3 free throws to go with 3 rebounds and 1 steal in 10:00 minutes.
Gian Aydinoglu, 20, PG, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Aydinoglu played 10:11 minutes against ALBA BERLIN and contributed 6 points on 2-of-4 shooting and 2-of-2 free throws as well as 2 rebounds.
Germans Abroad
David Brembly had a big game in the Polish top flight as he poured in 20 points along with 3 rebounds and 1 assist for Stal against Arka.
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