NINERS Chemnitz showed their resolve as they fended off a comeback by ratiopharm ulm to win thanks to some late game heroics from DeAndre Lansdowne. In the mean time, FC Bayern Munich won two games to extend their winning streak to 14 games, and Würzburg Baskets solidified their spot for home court advantage in the playoffs.
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:
Chemnitz hold lead this time, bounce back from Bayern loss to beat Ulm
NINERS Chemnitz managed to hold onto a big lead this time around as they fended off ratiopharm ulm’s comeback for an 83-82 win after having wasted a 18 point advantage at FC Bayern Munich in the last game. Facing an Ulm team that lost to Bayern in the German Cup SIEGMUNG TOP FOUR final, Chemnitz led by 14 points already in the first quarter and the advantage grew to 20 points multiple times in the second and third quarters. The hosts still led by 11 points with under 5 minutes to go but Ulm cut the deficit to one point with 19 seconds left. DeAndre Lansdowne threw down a big dunk and Wesley Van Beck made two free throws in the final 9 seconds to lock up the win. Chemnitz have won four of their last five games for an 18-4 mark and Ulm have dropped to 14-8 after four losses in the last five league games for seventh place in the league. Chemnitz shot 59.4 percent on two-pointers and made 21-of-26 free throws compared to just 16-of-28 for Ulm. Aher Uguak collected 16 points and 8 rebounds and Kevin Yebo also scored 16 points in the win. Trevion Williams had 22 points and Juan Nunez picked up 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the loss.
Bayern blow by Bonn, win streak reaches 14
FC Bayern Munich shrugged off the tough schedule and grabbed an impressive 90-81 home victory over Telekom Baskets Bonn for a 14th straight win the league. Bayern beat BG Göttingen on Wednesday and then knocked off Crvena Zvezda Belgrade in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague on Friday. On Sunday, Bayern didn’t waste any time with an 12-point lead in the first quarter and the cushion was as many as 22 points. Bonn finished the game strong but Bayern improved to 18-3 and Bonn fell to 14-9 after having their four-game winning streak snapped. Bayern shot 54.2 percent for the game including 44.8 percent from long range. Carsen Edwards and Leandro Bolmaro both scored 17 points to pace Bayern with Darko Brankovic adding 13 points and 5 rebounds. Noah Kirkwood scored 17 points, Sam Griesel had 14 points and Thomas Kennedy chipped in 14 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.
Lucky 13th in Round 12 - Bayern ease by Göttingen to extend streak
FC Bayern Munich continued their roll after winning the German Cup SIEGMUNG TOP FOUR title by easing past BG Göttingen 86-74 in a Round 12 makeup game for a 13th straight victory. Bayern pulled ahead by 13 points in the third quarter only to see the guests cut the gap to two points early in the fourth quarter. But Bayern regained control to move to 17-3 while Göttingen have dropped three of their last four for a 6-14 record. Bayern shot 60.0 percent for the game including a white-hot 75.8 percent on two-pointers. Devin Booker led Bayern with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, Andi Obst scored 11 points and Serge Ibaka and Elias Harris both scored 10 points. Umoja Gibson had 15 points as Göttingen’s top scorer.
Würzburg fight past Crailsheim, solidify spot for home court in playoffs
Würzburg Baskets solidified their spot for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs as they fought past HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 86-80 to remain in fourth place. The game was tight throughout with Würzburg opening a 10-point third quarter lead but later trailing in the quarter. Javon Bess converted all four of his free throws in the final 5 seconds to secure the win - Würzburg’s third straight for a 15-6 record and Crailsheim fell to 4-18 after a third consecutive loss. Würzburg held Crailsheim to just 39.4 percent two-point shooting and had a 14-0 advantage on fast break points. Zac Seljaas poured in 21 points and 9 rebounds and Otis Livingston and Bess both scored 17 points for the winners. Brandon Childress had 16 points in the loss.
Berlin with no problem win Oldenburg, win fourth straight
ALBA BERLIN grabbed their fourth straight victory in the league as they eased past EWE Baskets Oldenburg 85-67 at home. Berlin started pulling away in the second quarter and the game wasn’t close in the second half with Berlin moving to 14-5 and Oldenburg lost their third in the last four games for a 10-12 mark outside the playin spots. Berlin held Oldenburg to just 22.9 percent on three-pointers and made 20-of-23 free throws to just 5-of-6 for the guests. Johannes Thiemann and Tim Schneider both had 13 points and Ziga Samar and Justin Bean both scored 12 points and combined for 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Chaundee Brown was Oldenburg’s top scorer and DeWayne Russell chipped in 10 points and 8 assists in the loss.
23-0 run carries Ludwigsburg past Vechta
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg remained in the fight for an automatic spot in the playoffs as they used a big fourth quarter run to beat RASTA Vechta 86-72 on the road. Vechta led by 13 points midway through the third quarter but then lost control of the game with Ludwigsburg mounting a 23-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Ludwigsburg have won three of the last four games for a 14-8 record and Vechta have dropped to 14-8. Ludwigsburg only grabbed one offensive rebound more - 15-14 - but the guests built a 17-4 advantage in second chance points while also holding Vechta to 33.3 percent shooting. Jayvon Graves poured in a game-high 28 points and Silas Melson scored 17 points. Tommy Kuhse tallied 25 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in a losing effort.
Bamberg bounce back from cup loss, use big third quarter to tame Tübingen
Bamberg Baskets bounced back from their loss to FC Bayern Munich in the German Cup SIEGMUNG TOP FOUR by beating Tigers Tübingen 97-76 for a second straight league win under new coach Arne Woltmann. Bamberg went on a 12-2 run in the third quarter and never looked back for a 9-13 record and Tübingen are 5-17 after a fourth straight loss. Bamberg shot 51.5 percent for the game including 63.9 percent on two-pointers while also building a 20-2 advantage in second chance points. Zach Copeland was strong for Bamberg with 24 points and 7 assists and Filip Stanic added 19 points and 8 rebounds. Zaccheus Darko-Kelly was Tübingen’s top scorer with 12 points.
Wolves drop 106 points on Rostock to snap losing streak
SYNTAINICS MBC prevailed in an offensive shootout with ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES with a 106-102 victory to snap a four-game losing streak while Rostock lost their ninth straight. The hosts used a 16-3 run early in the second half for a 17 point lead, which Rostock eventually trimmed to three points late, but guests’ hole was too deep to finish the comeback. The home side improved to 7-15 and Rostock fell to 6-15. SYNTAINICS had a 17-8 advantage on offensive rebounds which led to a 26-11 gap in second chance points. The hosts also made 26-of-32 free throws compared to 13-of-18 for Rostock. Charles Callison scored 27 points with 5 assists, Johnathan Stove had 20 points and Martin Breunig chipped in 13 points and 7 rebounds. Derick Alston paced Rostock with 27 points and Chevez Goodwin chipped in 20 points and 9 rebounds in the defeat.
Göttingen grab crucial win in tough fight over reeling Heidelberg
BG Göttingen earned a crucial victory in their fight against relegation as they won a 94-91 thriller over MLP Academics Heidelberg at home. The game was back and forth throughout with 18 lead changes and 20 ties. Heidelberg built the biggest lead of 10 points with 7 minutes to play but lost it with Karlis Silins hitting a three-pointer with 35 seconds left and the hosts making their four free throws down the stretch. Göttingen snapped a two-game losing skid for a 7-14 record while Heidelberg have now lost six straight for a 3-19 mark. Göttingen committed only 7 turnovers and held Heidelberg to just 21.2 percent from long range. Bodie Hume paced Göttingen with 21 points with David DeJulius tallying 19 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Jeffrey Carroll scored 26 points, Isaiah Whaley had 18 points and 9 rebounds and Elijah Childs picked up a 18 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.
Heidelberg add combo guard Jaworski for relegation battle
MLP Academics Heidelberg added reinforcements for their fight against relegation with the signing of combo guard Justin Jaworski. The 24-year-old American penned a deal until the end of the season and arrives from Italian top flight side Napoli. Jaworski played last season in Spain’s second division with Gipuzkoa.
Bonn sign German center Lars Thiemann
Telekom Baskets Bonn will receive help for their front court as they signed German center Lars Thiemann. The 23-year-old Duisburg native is still in the United States playing for Loyola Marymount and will join Bonn when his season is over later this month on a contract until the end of the season plus an option for next season. Thiemann, who is averaging 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds this season, played from 2016 to 2019 in the youth ranks for Bayer Giants Leverkusen. Thiemann will be reinforcements to replace the injured big man Benedikt Turudic.
Player of the Week
The top performance for Round 22 goes to Zac Seljaas of Würzburg Baskets, who takes Player of the Week honors as he picked up 21 points on 8-of-12 shots and 2-of-2 free throws, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block for an efficiency of 28 against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich
Obst only played one of the two Bayern games this week and he collected 11 points with 3 three-pointers and 4 assists in their Round 12 win over BG Göttingen.
G: Rene Kindzeka, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Kindzeka needs to be mentioned this week as the 28-year-old guard set career highs with 4 three-pointers made and 12 points plus 1 steal in just 8 minutes against Würzburg.
C: Martin Breunig, SYNTAINICS MBC
Breunig helped Wolves grab the win over ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist.
C: Filip Stanic, Bamberg Baskets
Stanic was a force inside against Tigers Tübingen with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
C: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Yebo collected 16 points and 1 rebound off the bench in Chemnitz’s big win over ratiopharm ulm.
Young Guns
Johann Grünloh, 18, C, RASTA Vechta
Grünloh started and played 14:34 minutes against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg and had 4 points on 2-of-4 shots (0/1 threes), 1 rebound and 1 block.
Len Schoormann, 21, SG, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Schoormann played 19:26 minutes as a starter against ALBA BERLIN and scored 8 points on 3-of-9 shooting (2/6 threes) to go with 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal.
Ivan Kharchenkov, 17, SG, FC Bayern Munich
Kharchenkov contributed 5 points on 2-of-3 shots (1/2 threes) and 1 steal in 10:52 minutes against BG Göttingen.
Germany split two games in FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers
The reigning world champions Germany started their qualification for the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 with a split of two games in the first qualifying window. Gordon Herbert’s troops knocked off Montenegro 85-61 at home in Ludwigsburg but then were upset by Bulgaria 67-62 on the road in Botevgrad.
Germans Abroad
With Collin Welp having a strong first season in Germany after finishing his collegiate career, Nic Welp is another son of former late German star Chris Welp who is in the United States. Nic Welp had a strong stretch of games for the NCAA Division II side Western Washington with 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in a four game stretch in late February.
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