Bayern Search in Vain for Momentum

Europe still isn’t quite working properly: After their opening win against Hapoel, FC Bayern Basketball failed to secure a second victory on the fourth EuroLeague gameday, losing 94–87 (52–43) to Virtus Bologna on Thursday. In front of 10,400 fans at the SAP Garden, the Munich side never really got going offensively—apart from one spell after halftime—and too rarely showed the necessary intensity in one-on-one defense.

After spending one night in their own beds, Bayern will be back on the road on Friday. On Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. (Dyn), they will be looking to claim their fourth win in as many BBL games when they visit Chemnitz—the first of four consecutive away matches. The game will be broadcast free-to-air on ARD television, via MDR.

Stats Quotes 

FC Bayern Basketball – Virtus Bologna 87:94 (43:52)

Full Boxscore

A Good Start Was Followed by a 2–18 Run

Against Bologna, coach Anton Gavel rotated his lineup once again, this time leaving Baldwin, Jensen and Norris out. After a 7–2 start, the ball movement quickly stagnated, while the defense became increasingly hesitant—9–20, an 2–18 hole by the seventh minute. With that confidence, Bologna also began letting fly from three-point range, shooting 6 of 9 in the first quarter (21–35).

From the second quarter onward, Bayern stepped up their effort, with da Silva and Beauchamp scoring to cut the deficit to 33–38 (16th minute). However, missed layups showed that they were still searching for confidence and cohesion, while Virtus remained comfortably ahead.

Da Silva Leads All Scorers with 18 Points

The second half finally brought the first points from Obst—his second three-pointer, which made it 52–55, ignited the arena (23rd minute). But a questionable call, one of several, and turnovers quickly dampened the enthusiasm of the comeback attempt. Bayern were now struggling more with themselves than with their opponents: a 0–9 run made it 52–64 (25th minute). The visitors’ guards played intelligently, while error-prone Bayern, despite having plenty of chances, never found their momentum.

Quotes:

Anton Gavel, FC Bayern Basketball head coach:  “Congratulations to Alex Mumbrú on the win. I think we lost the game in the first quarter. If you’re 14 points down in the EuroLeague at that stage, it becomes difficult. And whenever we had a chance to come back and got within three or five points, our offensive execution was poor. We tried to rely on hero ball and didn’t move the ball well. We simply failed to carry out the things we had set out to do. We either switched off or lacked discipline, and that cost us the game. At times, we forget the plays or try to force things. That won’t work against athletic teams like Bologna. It’s about moving the ball instead of dribbling on the spot and trying to beat your man one-on-one. (…)

“In the first quarter, we had only two defensive stops, and we also didn’t look good in one-on-one situations toward the end. (…) Now we have to find wins somewhere that weren’t part of the plan. (…) We certainly didn’t expect to be playing again at four o’clock on Saturday (in Chemnitz). But we have to make better use of our practice days, regardless of when they are. We haven’t looked good in training over the past two days. That showed a little in the game today.”

Oscar da Silva: “They hit important shots whenever the game got close. We turned the ball over and allowed ourselves to be intimidated offensively. Bologna kept their composure better down the stretch.”