Sensation on Tuesday night: FC Bayern Basketball pulled off a thrilling EuroLeague victory, defeating the star-studded FC Barcelona 102:101 (56:55) in a high-intensity battle between two previously level teams. With this win, they are back in the race for the postseason.
The favorite led by 11 points with five minutes remaining, but the passionate Bayern squad – led by top scorer Edwards (23 points, 5 assists) and veteran Harris, who turned back the clock (17 points, 8/11 FG) – fought back to stun the Spaniards. A crucial rebound and two clutch free throws from captain Lucic, along with a final defensive play by Weiler-Babb (16 points), sealed Bayern’s hard-fought and widely celebrated 18th win of the season.
FC Barcelona - FC Bayern Basketball 101:102 (55:56)
FCBB:
Carsen Edwards (23 Points, 5 Assists), Elias Harris (17), Nick Weiler-Babb (16, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals), Shabazz Napier (13), Danko Brankovic (12), Vladimir Lucic (8), Andreas Obst (6), Johannes Voigtmann (4, 5 Rebounds), Niels Giffey (3), Ivan Kharchenkov, Onuralp Bitim
Topscorer Barcelona:
Jabari Parker (23 Points)
Referee
Mehdi Difallah, Olegs Latisevs and Tomasz Trawicki
Attendance
8.250
Edwards and Harris deliver
In less than 48 hours, on Thursday at 8:30 PM, Bayern will face playoff contender Partizan Belgrade (16:15) in a sold-out SAP Garden. Then, on Saturday night at 8 PM, they’ll battle for BBL points in Würzburg.
Still without Booker and da Silva, Bayern didn't have a flawless start but showed great courage—like Weiler-Babb's drive for a 20:19 lead (8th minute) or Napier’s buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter (30:28).
Lucic Rebounds, Weiler-Babb shuts down Punter
Barça had a clear advantage in the air (33:23 rebounds), but Bayern fought back with speed, Harris’ clever plays, and Edwards’ three-pointers—building a 54:43 lead (17th minute). However, one of Barça’s top stars, Punter, kept them in the game with two clutch threes just before halftime (81% two-point shooting).
Bayern’s shooting percentage dropped midway through the third quarter—until Obst hit two crucial threes to close the gap to 76:77 (30th minute). Just 56 seconds later, it was 76:83, their biggest deficit so far, and eventually 83:94 (35th minute). The comeback seemed out of reach.
But not for the beast, Edwards, who cut it to 100:101. Not for Lucic, who grabbed a crucial defensive rebound despite a foul and sank two free throws for the lead with 17 seconds left. Punter (20 points, Parker 23) made one last attempt against Weiler-Babb, but Bayern’s defensive ace locked him down—game over, celebration unleashed.
Quotes:
Gordon Herbert, Headcoach FC Bayern Basketball: "This was a victory of character. We had two tough minutes at the end of the first half – and two incredible ones at the end of the game. I’m very proud of our players. They were down by 11, then still trailing by seven, but they never gave up. They kept fighting and made some big plays on both ends of the court. At times, it didn’t look great for us. We adjusted our defense, played small, and so did they. But as I said—we never gave up. You have to take your hat off to these guys. (…) We played really well in the last two minutes, managed to get a few stops. (…) Defensively, we struggled a bit, but Barcelona is a very strong offensive team. My guys stuck together and pulled off the win in the end."
Nick Weiler-Babb: "First of all, my thoughts and prayers go out to Metu. I hope he recovers quickly and gets back on his feet soon. We played really well in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter when it mattered most. Big-time players make big-time plays, and in the end, we stuck together and secured the win. It was important to bounce back after the tough loss against Baskonia, and being able to do that today is just great."
Carsen Edwards: "This was a high-level game, with so many lead changes and runs. I’m just happy we were able to get this win. It was a huge and important victory for us. We have to take it game by game, but today was definitely a big one."