Bayern wins Quarterfinal Game 2 74-73 but it's not enough

For the basketball players of FC Bayern Munich, the BBL Final tournament is already over after the quarter finals: The defending champions may have won the hard-fought Game 2 against Ludwigsburg 74-73 but in the end the victory was too little after the 87´-83 loss in Game 2 two days ago. The hosts had everything in their own hands and with a quick start they were leading by twelve points early on. They also had the ball twice in the dramatic final seconds but couldn't put the game away. In the third quarter they went eight minutes without points from the court and only two points from the free-throw line. Vladimir Lucic, who was playing despite a painful muscle injury in his thigh, missed the chance for overtime in a last-second three attempt.

The MHP giants will meet Ulm in the semi-finals starting Sunday. FC Bayern Basketball wishes the remaining teams a further injury-free tournament at the Munich Audi Dome.

MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg vs. FC Bayern Basketball 73-74

FCBB
Paul Zipser (16 points, 9 rebounds), Danilo Barthel (14, 7 rebounds), Mathias Lessort (12), Vladimir Lucic (11), Leon Radosevic (8), Maodo Lo (6, 7 Assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals), TJ Bray (3, 6 assists), Ismet Akpinar (3), Petteri Koponen (1) and Alex King.
Top scorer Ludwigsburg
Marcos Knight (20 points)
Referee
Anne Panther, Clemens Fritz, Steve Bittner

Points per quarter Bayern - Ludwigsburg: 23-18, 22-18, 11-16, 18-21.

Stats: Two-point shooting: 60 % (FCBB) // 43 % (Ludwigsburg); Three-point shooting: 28 % // 32 %; rebounds: 43 // 35; free-throws: 77 % // 61 %; assists: 21 // 12; turnovers: 18 // 13.

Quotes:
fCBB head coach, Oliver Kostic: "We won today, but it wasn't enough to move on to the next round. We played a very good game and had the chance to move on but we made bad decisions and let them come back into the game. Unfortunately, in the third quarter, we lost the flow on offense, again and on defense we allowed too easy points. That changed the rhythm of the game. Then we had turnovers again, even though they weren't forced. We lost our self-confidence again against a strong opponent. In the end we went to the One-Possession-Game and gave away a good shot to reach overtime."

"The guys gave everything possible and fought well. Ismet Akpinar could not play in the last game because of knee problems, today he was ready. Ludwigsburg was a good opponent and overall it was a good, real playoff game. Congratulations and good luck for the next round."

"I would also like to say about the tournament that we all went through a difficult phase in the last three months, even as athletes. But this was a chance to bring basketball back, albeit in a new form. We were and are very happy about that and I would like to thank everyone involved for the perfect organization, especially our people here in Munich and FC Bayern. We would also like to thank the staff in the hotel for their very warm atmosphere."

Danilo Barthel: "Today we managed to bring energy to the court as a team again. At times we played very, very good basketball - but unfortunately we also had a period of weakness, during which we as a team could not find an answer to the physical play of the Ludwigsburgers. Both first halves of the quarter finals we looked good as a team with a lot of energy. We also fought until the last second today. In the end, you have to give Ludwigsburg a lot of credit for the way they played. They kept cooler heads for over 80 minutes. In the last few years we were spoiled by the title wins, this time it didn't work out. We're gonna work through what we need to improve."

1st half
The FCBB started with TJ Bray, Maodo Lo, Vladimir Lucic, Barthel and Mathias Lessort. Bayern found their way into the Game 2 well and they were able to take a quick lead. Even though Ludwigsburg still had a bit of ground to make up, the defending champions were on course after ten minutes - 23-18. The FCBB continued the good start and Paul Zipser especially stood out at the beginning of the second quarter and provided the offensive highlights for Bayern with a dunk and a successful and-one (29-18/12). The FCBB kept the lead constantly close to the double-digit range until the break - 45-36 at halftime.

2nd half
Even after the start of the second half it didn't seem as if Bayern would let themselves be taken away from the semi-finals, but after a three by Bray (54-42/24.), the Munich squad lost their offensive rhythm. It took a whole eight minutes before Barthel managed to score another field goal and altogether they only collected a meagre two points in this phase at the free-throw line (59-58/32.). As a result, the FCBB failed to achieve another four-point lead, which would have at least led the series into overtime. Petteri Koponen lost the ball in the final minute and three seconds before the end, Vladimir Lucic missed his last chance shot to go into extra time. At 74-73, he only hit the rim, the buzzer blew and he season of the defending champion ended in the quarter-finals.

The course of the game can be seen in the live ticker