The biggest story of the week was FC Bayern Munich slowing down league leaders NINERS Chemnitz with a road victory in a great atmosphere in Chemnitz. The week also saw ALBA BERLIN take down Telekom Baskets Bonn on the road. Playing away from home in fact didn’t seem to matter much this week as MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg were the only team to grab a home victory this week.
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:
Bayern use three-pointers to down Chemnitz in top showdown
FC Bayern Munich used an excellent outside shooting game to secure an 86-73 road victory over first-placed NINERS Chemnitz in an entertaining showdown of the top two teams in the league. Chemnitz surged ahead by 10 points in the first quarter and were still up by 10 points late in the first half before Bayern went on a 15-2 run spanning halftime to pull ahead. Chemnitz led 69-68 with 6 minutes left but Bayern rolled away with an 18-3 spurt to extend their winning streak to eight games. Bayern and Chemnitz are now even in the loss column - Bayern at 12-3 and Chemnitz at 14-3. Bayern drained 14 three-pointers while shooting 60.9 percent from long range and holding Chemnitz to just 26.7 percent on three-pointers. Carsen Edwards was Bayern’s leading scorer with 20 points followed by Vladimir Lucic with 13 points and 9 rebounds and Niels Giffey with a season high 12 points. Jeff Garrett collected 18 points and 11 rebounds, Wes van Beck had 16 points and 7 assists and DeAndre Lansdowne picked up 13 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in the loss.
Ulm bounce back from Vechta loss, run away from Bamberg late
ratiopharm ulm bounced back from their loss last week to RASTA Vechta to knock off Brose Bamberg 84-76 on the road. Ulm led for most of the first three quarters but were never able to pull away and actually trailed in the fourth quarter before going on a 17-2 run to move to 13-4. Bamberg dropped to 6-11 after their second straight loss and fifth in the last six games. Ulm forced 18 turnovers to just 10 of their own and managed an 11-4 advantage in second chance points. Trevion Williams collected his seventh double-double of the season - and fifth straight - with 20 points and 10 rebounds while LJ Figueroa had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Zach Copeland scored 17 points and Adrian Nelson added 14 points and 9 rebounds in the loss.
Berlin offense too much for Bonn
ALBA BERLIN kept pace with the pack of teams hunting leaders NINERS Chemnitz with a strong offensive showing in a 95-87 win at Telekom Baskets Bonn. The home side jumped out to a 12-point first quarter lead but was behind in the second period before Berlin took the lead late in the third and never gave it back. Berlin have won two straight for a 10-4 mark in fourth place and Bonn are 10-8 after two straight losses. Berlin shot 65.6 percent on two-pointers and Bonn made just 21-of-35 free throws (60.0 percent). Yanni Wetzell came from the bench to lead Berlin with 22 points with Sterling Brown scoring 19 points, Matt Thomas picking up 17 points and Martin Hermannsson tallying 9 points and 8 assists. Thomas Kennedy scored 19 points, Harald Frey had 16 points off the bench and Christian Sengfelder chipped in 14 points and 5 rebounds.
Seljaas dominates in return, Würzburg get back to winning ways
Würzburg Baskets shrugged off their loss to ALBA BERLIN and got back to their winning ways with a 91-78 road victory over ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES. Würzburg raced away to a 13-point lead in the first quarter but trailed in the second period. The guests regained control late in the first half to move to 11-5 with their eighth win in the last nine games and Rostock are 6-10 after four straight losses. Würzburg shot 60.5 percent on two-pointers and committed only 9 turnovers. Zach Seljaas had a strong comeback after four games missed with a team high 21 points and 9 rebounds while Isaiah Washington scored 16 points and Otis Livingston chipped in 11 points and 8 assists. Chevez Goodwin had 20 points and 9 rebounds and Tyler Nelson picked up 18 points in a losing effort.
Ludwigsburg slow down Vechta in slugfest between playoffs aspirants
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg remained on course for a direct spot in the playoffs as they grabbed an important 77-74 home victory over fellow playoffs aspirants RASTA Vechta. Both teams wasted 10 point leads and Vechta were ahead 72-68 but managed just 2 points in the final 2:50 minutes. Ludwigsburg improved to 11-6 with their fourth win in the last five games while Vechta fell to 11-6 after their four-game win streak was ended. Ludwigsburg committed only 8 turnovers and held Vechta to just 39.2 percent shooting for the game. Silas Melson came from the Ludwigsburg bench for 13 points and Desure Buie added 12 points. Tommy Kuhse paced Vechta with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and 18-year-old center Johann Grünloh collected 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Wolves spoil Coach Freyer’s first game in Heidelberg with offensive spectacle
SYNTAINICS MBC picked up an important victory in their fight to avoid relegation as they out-scored MLP Academics Heidelberg 111-90 to spoil the home debut of new coach Ingo Freyer and keep Heidelberg winless at home. The guests led by 13 points already in the first quarter and temporarily allowed Heidelberg to get within two points in the second quarter but dominated the rest of the game. SYNTAINICS MBC moved to 6-11 with back-to-back wins after four straight losses, and Heidelberg are 3-14 with a 0-9 home record. The guests shot 63.1 percent for the game including a white hot 64.0 percent from long range, making 16-of-25 three-pointers. Johnathan Stove made 5 triples to pace the winners with 21 points, Martin Breunig had 18 points and 6 rebounds and Stephon Jelks added 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Isaiah Whaley was a force for the hosts with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks while Abu Kigab had 21 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.
Heidelberg bring back Carroll due to Zipser absence
MLP Academics Heidelberg reacted to the injury to German international Paul Zipser and brought back Jeffrey Carroll. The club had parted ways with Carroll at the end of December but new coach Ingo Freyer decided to bring the small forward back to the team.
Gibson, Anticevich, DeJulius power Göttingen past Tübingen
BG Göttingen brought out the offensive fireworks as they exploded for a 116-95 victory at Tigers Tübingen thanks to the trio of Umoja Gibson, Grant Anticevich and David DeJulius combining for 73 points. Göttingen led nearly the entire game but took control with an 11-0 surge spanning the final two quarters to move to 4-11, which is also Tübingen’s mark after a fifth straight loss. Göttingen shot a blistering 67.7 percent from the field, including an unheard of 79.5 percent on two-pointers plus 51.7 percent from long range. Gibson finished with 28 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists; Anticevich had 24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and DeJulius added 21 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists in his debut off the bench. Jimmy Boeheim scored 23 points and Georgios Kalaitzakis and Mateo Seric both had 17 points for Tübingen.
Göttingen add playmaker reinforcements with David DeJulius
BG Göttingen added reinforcements to their backcourt as they signed David DeJulius until the end of the season. The 24-year-old point guard comes to Göttingen after playing this season with Lavrio in Greece.
Oldenburg too strong for Hamburg in road win
EWE Baskets Oldenburg seem to have turned the corner as they won back-to-back games with a 91-80 win at Veolia Towers Hamburg, who saw their three-game winning streak end. Oldenburg lost a 10-point lead from the first quarter and then finished the first half on an 8-0 run and never were challenged in the second half. Oldenburg have won two straight after three losses for an 8-9 mark and Hamburg dropped to 10-6. Oldenburg out-scored Hamburg 40-24 in the paint and 25-6 on second chance points despite grabbing just two more offensive rebounds. Hamburg also shot just 41.0 percent from the field. Chaundee Brown paced five Oldenburg players in double figures with 25 points and 6 rebounds with DeWayne Russell and Geno Crandall both collecting 16 points and combining for 14 assists. Mark Hughes and Aleksander Dziewa both scored 15 points to lead Hamburg.
Strong second half carries Braunschweig past Crailsheim
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig snapped a three-game losing streak by giving up just 23 points in the second half of an 80-70 road victory over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. The hosts controlled much of the game, leading by as many as 11 points in the second and third quarters. But Braunschweig went on an 11-0 run spanning the final two periods and never trailed again to move to 7-11 with Crailsheim falling to 3-14. Braunschweig won the rebound battle 41-32 including a 16-9 advantage on the offensive glass. Jilson Bango led Braunschweig with 19 points and 9 rebounds and Brandon Tischler collected 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Leo Westermann top-scored for Crailsheim with 14 points and Maurice Stuckey had 13 points.
Player of the Week
Isaiah Whaley had an outstanding performance for MLP Academics Heidelberg to earn himself Player of the Week honors for Round 17. The center scored 25 points on 9-of-14 shots and 2-of-3 free throws to go with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks and 2 turnovers for an efficiency of 36 - albeit in a loss against SYNTAINICS MBC.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Lukas Wank, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Wank had a strong performance in Oldenburg’s win over Veolia Towers Hamburg with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist.
F: Brandon Tischler, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Tischler collected 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in a win over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
F: Niels Giffey, FC Bayern Munich
Giffey scored in double figures for the first time in the league this season with 12 points to go with 4 rebounds and 1 block in the top showdown with NINERS Chemnitz.
C: Martin Breunig, SYNTAINICS MBC
Breunig played a major role in the team’s win over MLP Academics Heidelberg with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
C: Johann Grünloh, RASTA Vechta
The 18-year-old jumps to a spot in the Top Five as he scored 10 points while also collecting a career high 15 rebounds - 10 of them from the offensive glass - and 1 assist against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Young Guns
Sananda Fru, 20, PF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Fru started against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim and collected 6 points on 2-of-4 shooting (0/1 threes) and 2-of-2 free throws, 7 rebounds - 6 of them offensive rebounds, and 1 block in 24:10 minutes.
Len Schoormann, 21, SG, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Schoormann picked up 6 points on 2-of-9 shooting (1/6 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws, 2 rebounds and 3 steals in 31:02 minutes as a starter against Veolia Towers Hamburg.
Lukas Herzog, 22, PG, Bamberg Baskets
Herzog scored 5 points on 2-of-3 shooting (0/1 threes) and 1-of-1 free throws to go with 1 rebound and 1 assist in 8:52 minutes against ratiopharm ulm.
Germans Abroad
Ariel Hukporti is in his third year in Australia and has put together another strong stretch of performances. After missing the entire 2022-23 season injured, the Melbourne United center picked up 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks against Tasmania. That was Hukporti’s fourth straight game in double figure scoring, grabbing at least 5 rebounds in each game. For the season, the 21-year-old is averaging 8.8 points on 60.8 percent shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
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On the Road
Kleber verliert mit Dallas die NBA-Finals / Nach sechs Titeln: Pleiß verlässt Istanbul / Voigtmann und Lo sind italienischer Meister
Europapokal
Bonn und Ludwigsburg starten am Dienstag in die „Round of 16“ / Nach vier Niederlagen in Serie: Kann Ulm in Podgorica wieder gewinnen?
Nachberichte
