Bayern wins 97-60 over MBC in Rudan's professional debut

The FC Bayern Munich basketball team won the cup preliminary round game in Weissenfels against MBC 48 hours after their celebrated EuroLeague victory over Olympiakos Piraeus (74-68). The team of head coach Andrea Trinchieri defeated host MBC 97-60 (49:28), thus preserving their theoretical chances for the Top Four participation in the Audi Dome. On Monday evening (20:30/MagentaSport) a second win against Crailsheim is necessary for any chance to move on. On Sunday, the FCBB pulled away during the first minutes and convinced with a concentrated and committed appearance. Djedovic, Baldwin, Lucic, Johnson and also Leon Radosevic did not play. The 19-year-old local talent, Matej Rudan, played well ith nine points and eight rebounds in his professional debut; the second youngster from the FCBB junior team, Sasha Grant, 18, managed 28 minutes scored eight points. The top scorer was TJ Bray with 19 points and the 23-year-old playmaker Zan Mark Sisko had ten assists.

Points per quarter Bayern - MBC: 31-14, 18-14, 27-19, 21-13.

Stats: Two-point shooting: 60% (FCBB) // 39% (MBC); Three-point shooting: 42% // 27%; Free throw shooting: 72% // 92%; Rebounds: 40 // 31; Assists: 24 // 16; Turnovers: 14 // 18.

Quotes:
Andrea Trinchieri: "My goal was to win and to distribute the minutes as well as possible after Friday's difficult game. After all, we went straight on Saturday, and we'll play on Sunday and Monday. I think we played well, we were good on defense. And we won the rebound duel against the MBC and that allowed us to control things. We also got help from our youngsters Rudan and Grant; it's very important for our season that they can keep up at this level."

TJ Bray: "We came directly into the game with a lot of energy. We knew we had to play hard. Our two young players helped us a lot and kept the energy level up. The defeat in the first cup game naturally gave us additional motivation. Everyone contributed to the success. We'll see what else is possible."

Game recap:
TJ Bray, Nick Weiler-Babb, Robin Amaize, Paul Zipser and Malcolm Thomas formed the starting five for FCBB coach Trinchieri. The Munich team quickly and effectively played themselves into an early lead as two threes from Bray and one from Weiler-Babb forced the MBC to take a time-out (11-3). After four minutes a double-digit lead was on the books for Bayern (17-6/4.). The FCBB played dynamically and attractively and Trinchieri already fielded nine players in the first quarter. 31 scored points after ten minutes testified to a top offensive performance while the defense only allowed 14.

The FCBB didn't let up a bit and the lead was constantly just over 20 points as the team spread the minutes well. Coach Trinchieri used all his players, including FCBB veteran Alex King and youngsters Sasha Grant and Matej Rudan. Meanwhile, TJ Bray scored his fourth three to take a 22-point lead with five minutes to play. The young and small line-up was allowed to let off steam with the reassuring lead and a weaker phase ended with Zan Mark Sisko drilling a three (49-26/19.) At the change of sides the Munich squad had their opponents safely under control - 49-28.

The Munich team did not have to worry about becoming complacent and they quickly brought the lead to 57-30. Jalen Reynolds increased the lead to 30 points with another three (60-30/23.). Bray continued to score reliably from beyond the three-point line, and Sasha Grant also entered the list of successful long-distance scorers (70-40/28.). The 500 spectators in Weissenfels were simply happy to be in the hall again and created a great atmosphere. This also seemed to spur on the Munich team, as they kept the MBC in check with determination thanks to a crisp defense - 76-47 after the third quarter.

What was absolutely impressive about the Munich game was the dedication to defense: even with this advantage, the players were chasing the ball and fought passionately for every play. The leader of the EuroLeague was also very good on the offensive side, Grant and Rudan played a decisive role in the 7-2 run of the FCBB to start the final quarter, much to the delight of the FCBB junior section (83-49/34.). Matej Rudan brought them all to their feet with a big bucket and the team wrapped up the win, 91-54.

TO THE SCHEDULE

Photo Credit: Embroidery, Cover