The basketball team of FC Bayern Munich beat their neighbors from Ulm by a final score of 83-69 in their sixth game within twelve days, thanks to a remarkably focused performance. For the German champions it was the ninth victory in nine games and they remain at the top of the Bundesliga standings. In front of 4,308 spectators in the Audi Dome, the Munich squad built a big lead in the second quarter and only in the fourth quarter did they slow down. National player Paul Zipser was again the top scorer for the German champions with 16 points.
On Friday (29.11., 18:30 CET), Bayern will play a tough game in the EuroLeague against second-place Anadolu Efes in Istanbul. Two days later, on Sunday December 1st, the BBL surprise team from Crailsheim will come to the Audi Dome (18:00 CET).
Tickets: FCBB vs. Crailsheim
Points per quarter Bayern - Ulm: 20-17, 27-18, 25-15, 11-19.
Facts & Figures - Two-point shooting: 56% (FCBB) // 53% (Ulm); Three-point shooting: 39% // 26%; Rebounds: 35 // 33; Assists: 18 // 18; Ball losses: 11 // 13. - Injuries: TJ Bray (post-foot surgery), Josh Huestis (in training) and Nihad Djedovic (post-foot surgery).
FCBB stats: Paul Zipser (16 points/6 rebounds), Petteri Koponen (15/3 three), Danilo Barthel (11/6 Reb), DeMarcus Nelson (10), Vladimir Lucic (7), Alex King (6), Mathias Lessort (6), Greg Monroe (4), Maodo Lo (4), Diego Flaccadori (4) and Leon Radosevic.
Quotes:
FCBB head coach, Dejan Radonjic: "Today we tried to play with a lot of energy and concentration right from the start. Defensively we did that solidly but we still have to improve on the boards. But we dominated the game and clearly won. I'm therefore satisfied when you consider that it was the sixth game in twelve days."
Ulm head coach, Jaka Lakovic: "First of all, congratulations to coach Radonjic and his team on a very deserved victory. I'll say it short and sweet: The game went from start to finish only in one direction. We could not match the physicality and aggressiveness of Bayern today at any time and deserved to lose. That was a lesson for us today. I wish Bayern good luck for the rest of the season".
Danilo Barthel: "That was a relatively confident performance from us and it's very good that the victory was a bit easier than expected. Everybody played, everybody played well, so the minutes were well distributed. Now we are ready for the EuroLeague in Istanbul. Regenerate tomorrow, then travel on Thursday and we want to show our top basketball and win there."
1st quarter
DeMarcus Nelson, Vladimir Lucic, Petteri Koponen, Danilo Barthel and Greg Monroe were sent out first onto the Audi-dome court. The men of FCBB coach Radonjic found their way into the game quickly but Ulm responded with a 6-0 run of their own and after three minutes the score was tied at six. Ulm clearly intended to try to run Bayern off the court but Munich's defense was up for the challenge and forced five early turnovers. Bayern missed some open shots and at the end of the quarter only held a slime lead at 20-17.
2nd quarter
The Munich team started with a 11-0 run in the second quarter and Ulm's coach Lakovic was forced to take a time-out. A few quick trips down the court and the visitors were back within reach and Radonjic reacted with a time-out . The defending champions used the minute to calm down and Zipser quickly increased the lead to 35-22 with a pair of free-throws. Bayern now undoubtedly had the momentum on their side and built up their lead to nearly twenty points. Ulm was of course far from giving up without a fight and worked their way back to 47-35 at the break.
3rd quarter
The Bavarians continued where they had left off in their strong phase of the second quarter but Zoran Dragic, the strongest player on the Ulm squad kept his team in the game in the meantime. Mathias Lessort shone on defense with a spectacular block and the Bavarians had the matter under control, 55-41. Barthel nailed a deep three, Diego Flaccadori stole the ball and scored and the lead was up to 19 for Bayern - time-out Ulm. Remarkably Bayern kept up the intensity on defense despite the huge lead and heading into the final quarter the score was 72-50.
4th quarter
Ulm showed character and did not give up. They fought their way up to 73-57 and forced a Munich time-out. The Finnish sniper Koponen stopped the 9-0 run of the visitors with a quick bucket and Radonjic distributed the game time on many shoulders to save the legs of his team that will be in Istanbul on Friday. Paul Zipser once again brought his good form and scored reliably to take a 79-61 lead. It was a good win for Bayern and they remain undefeated in the BBL.
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Photo credit: Rauchensteiner & Eirich