The basketball players of FC Bayern Munich won their 19th Bundesliga game 80-68 over BG Goettingen and remain atop the standings. In front of 5,394 spectators in the Audi Dome, the German champions were challenged by Goettingen only 45 hours after the EuroLeague mission in Spain and though it wasn't an easy victory, the Munich squad held the lead for the entire game. Petteri Koponen was Bayern's top scorer with 14 points.
Bayern now makes itself scarce for three weeks in the Audi Dome: The next game in front of its own audience will take place on March 3rd against Bremerhaven at 15:00 after the road games in Oldenburg (Thursday, 15.4.), Real Madrid (22.2.) and in Montenegro against Podgorica (1.3).
Points per quarter Bayern - Goettingen: 21-15, 24-17, 17-19, 18-17.
FCBB Stats: Petteri Koponen (14 points/2 threes/7 assists), Nihad Djedovic (11), Robin Amaize (11/3 threes), Danilo Barthel (9), Derrick Williams (8), Nemanja Dangubic (7/9 Reb), Maodo Lo (6), Vladimir Lucic (5), Leon Radosevic (4), Alex King (3), Marvin Ogunsipe (2) and Braydon Hobbs.
Quotes:
FCBB head coach Dejan Radonjic: "We had only 40 hours after the EuroLeague game at Baskonia to find the focus for this game and it was important to have enough energy. Defensively it was solid today and ultimately good enough on offense to win. Now we have a few days to regenerate - that's important and urgently needed."
BG Goettingen head coach, Johan Roijakkers: "Congratulations to coach Radonjic and the Bavarians on their well-deserved victory. They are playing a strong season and I hope that they will also reach the playoffs in the EuroLeague - that would be great for all of German Basketball. We gave our all in today's game, but in the end it wasn't enough against Bayern who were too strong."
1st quarter
Maodo Lo, Nihad Djedovic, Vladimir Lucic, Danilo Barthel and Leon Radosevic were the starters for FCBB coach Dejan Radonjic. The Munich team did not feel the travelling strain in connection with the away game on Friday in Vitoria, Spain and started briskly at both ends of the cour to quickly take a 5-0 lead. Danilo Barthel converted the second three for Bayern, Nihad Djedovic drilled a shot for a 10-3 lead. The rested Göttingen players, however, held their ground and fought their way up to a 12-8 score after six minutes of play. Nemanja Dangubic breathed new life into the team come off the bench as he was strong on the boards and scored two buckets in a row. After the first quarter, the table leader led against the 14th placed team of the BBL, 21-15.
2nd quarter
Petteri Koponen opened the second quarter with a three from Robin Amaize and a 27-15 score. The Munich team now mostly kept the violets at a double-digit distance but failed to distance themselves further due to annoying turnovers (five in the quarter). Derrick Williams was described in a German basketball magazine recently as "Bayern's High Flyer", and lived up to the name with a huge dunk to bring the score to 33-24. Two quick baskets by Maodo Lo and Nihad Djedovic forced BG coach Roijakkers to take a time-out with two minutes remaining in the half. After a Bayern time-out and some words from the head coach, Koponen and Djedovic hit back-to-back shots and took a 45-32 lead at the half.
3rd quarter
The guests stormed out of the locker room and surprised Bayern with a 5-0 run. After a phase of stagnant play on both sides, Maodo Lo rifled through to the basket of opponents and after over three minutes of the second half scored the first basket for his team to bring the score to 47-37. The goal, however, did not change the fact that the Bayern offense had completely stalled. The violets now used every chance they could and shortened the once big lead to 49-43 and forced a time-out from Bavaria. . The fans suddenly experienced a shooting party, as Amaize and Petteri Koponen hit their shots from deep and retook a double-digit lead heading to the final quarter.
4th quarter
Nemanja Dangubic, who was slowly but surely heading for a double-double - but didn't quite reach it - hit his two free throws after a foul to increase the Bayern lead. The highly motivated visitors managed a 7-0 run through their increasingly intense defense, which brought them to 66-60 with five minutes remaining. Derrick Williams finished the almost three minutes long offensive dry spell of the Bavarians with a huge three from the corner. But the violets blossomed again and shortened the lead again to 69:64 and another time-out for Bayern. In this decisive phase of the game, the Munich team once again proved their character and, as so often in this season, showed up when they needed to most. Danilo Barthel hit a shot and Petteri Koponen's three lifted the lead back into the double-digit range at 74-64. With impressive calmness Bayern put the pedal to the metal and threes by Derrick Williams and Nihad Djedovic gave the upstart underdogs no chance and the BBL leaders clinched another home win.
(Photo-Credit: Rauchensteiner & Stickel)