The basketball players of FC Bayern Munich rebound after a tough loss in the EuroLeague with a 91-79 win over Bayreuth. The seventh win in the seventh BBL game means that the Munich squad sits atop the BBL. In front of 5,505 spectators at the family gameday in the Audi Dome, Bayreuth stayed on Bayern's heels for a long time, but the home team eventually figured it all out and put the game away. The Munich team distributed the minutes well and were helped out by their bench. Nihad Djedovic and Maodo Lo did not have to be used. Paul Zipser was the top scorer with 20 points.
After the success in the BBL, "Greek Week" in the EuroLeague is up next for the Bavarians. It all begins on Tuesday (19.11.) with the duel against the Greek heavyweight Olympiakos Piraeus, before their own rival and national champion Panathinaikos Athens will compete in the Audi Dome on Friday (22.11., 20:30 for both games).
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Points per quarter Bayern - Bayreuth: 21-20, 21-20, 26-18, 23-21.
Facts & Figures - Two-point shooting: 68% (FCBB) // 51% (Bayreuth); Three-point shooting: 44% // 28%; Rebounds: 35 // 26; Assists: 23 // 21. - Injured: TJ Bray (foot surgery), Josh Huestis (knee pain) and Nihad Djedovic (muscle pain).
FCBB stats: Paul Zipser (20 points/6 rebounds), Vladimir Lucic (17), Danilo Barthel (13), Petteri Koponen (8), Mathias Lessort (8), Alex King (7), Diego Flaccadori (6), Leon Radosevic (6), Greg Monroe (4), DeMarcus Nelson (2) and Maodo Lo (dnp).
Quotes:
Munich head coach, Dejan Radonjic: "Having only 40 hours after a EuroLeague game is of course difficult. Furthermore, we still have to fight with injury problems and Bayreuth played a good game. They changed a lot between zone press and zone, but in the end we scored 91 points, which is good. For us it was important today to distribute the minutes because of the recent game against Valencia but also because on Tuesday Olympiakos is already coming in the EuroLeague. Maodo wasn't 100 percent fit, so he didn't play. For Tuesday we'll see if it's enough and the same goes for Nihad, who had problems again after the game in Valencia. But the reaction of the team was good. Diego made good use of his minutes today".
Raoul Korner, head coach of medi Bayreuth: "I'm disappointed because I think the chance today was very good to catch Munich without their best line-up and form. In the end it wasn't enough because we had to play our best and we didn't do that. We had to improvise a bit defensively, which at least slowed down the pace of Bayern. But we never had the energy we needed to start a decisive run and bring Bayern back to within reach. That's why I'm disappointed. In the end, the Munich quality was the deciding factor".
Paul Zipser: "We decided to defend better in the second half and we also looked better against the zone in the second half. Now, in this important week after the defeat in Valencia against the Greek teams, we have to show a reaction in the EuroLeague as well. I think we can handle that."
1st quarter
FCBB coach Radonjic started with DeMarcus Nelson, Vladimir Lucic, Paul Zipser, Danilo Barthel and Greg Monroe. Lucic scored the first points of the afternoon, after a foul and converted both free throws. At first the Bavarians had difficulties with the zone defense of the guests but quick passes and shots from outside were an effective means against this defensive tactic. Less than 48 hours after the EuroLeague game in Valencia, the Munich side was trailing but after seven minutes a Koponen three brought them back into the lead - 16-14. Mathias Lessort made a successful comeback with five points in the first quarter after his injury, which was met with applause from the fans. After the first quarter the Munich team was 21-20 in front.
2nd quarter
After 32 seconds, guest coach Korner took a time-out to stop the Bavarians and their 5-0 run. The Bayern defense was quite good and the team relied on Paul Zipser, who contributed seven points in-a-row to take a 35-27 lead. Monroe quickly conceded his third foul and was ordered to the bench as a precaution. Lucic cleared his way with great determination into the Bayreuth zone and scored despite being fouled. However, the Bayreuthers could not be shaken off and were annoying on defense while also hitting their shots. With a 7-0 run they put the fear into the fans in the Audi Dome but Lucic scored at the buzzer to take a small lead at the half, 42-40.
3rd quarter
A three from Alex King was a promising start but the Upper Franconians came back again and took the lead after three minutes of play in the third quarter. Leon Radosevic was cleverly assisted by Flaccadori and slammed the ball home to take a 54-52 lead. The goal was the starting point for a quick 9-0 run for Munich which gave them a nine-point lead. A Bayreuther time-out was not able to break the rhythm of the Bavarians as two free-throws from King provided the first double-digit lead of the game, 63-52. After the third quarter the defends champs were up 68-58.
4th quarter
FCBB Captain Barthel delighted the numerous children in the Audi Dome on the family game day with monster dunk to keep Bayreuth out of reach, 77-60. His teammates now repeatedly sought him and his abilities near the basket, and Bayreuth only knew how to defend themselves against him with fouls. The BBL neighbors from northern Bavaria continued to fight and stayed in the game though still down by ten with three minutes to play. Koponen and Lucic hit a pair of shots and Bayern held a comfortable 10-point lead. In crunchtime the fans rose and celebrated their team which clinched their 8th straight BBL victory with a win over a fantastic opponent.
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Photo-Credit: Stickel & Rauchensteiner
