After the clear road loss in the EuroLeague on Friday evening in Istanbul, FC Bayern Munich's basketball players defended their lead in the German Basketball League with an energetic performance. The German champions won 82-63 (45:35) against Crailsheim, fifth in the league, securing their tenth victory in ten BBL games. In front of 4,863 spectators in the Audi Dome, the Munich team mobilized all their strength once again in the final quarter, after the guests had gotten to within one point behind. From 57-56 on, they went on a17-4 run within six minutes.
On Thursday (5.12.), Munich will have to compete in Tel Aviv who currently hold the fourth-place position in the EuroLeague. The following Sunday (8.12.) Goettingen will compete in the Audi Dome at 15:00 CET.
Tickets: FCBB vs. Göttingen
Points per quarter Bayern - Crailsheim: 20-13, 25-22, 12-18, 25-10.
Facts & Figures - Two-point shooting: 68% (FCBB) // 61% (Crailsheim); Three-point shooting: 36% // 28%; Rebounds: 28 // 22; Assists: 20 // 16; Ball losses: 14 // 17th - Injured: TJ Bray (foot surgery), Josh Huestis and Nihad Djedovic (both training).
FCBB stats: Greg Monroe (14 points/5 assists), Vladimir Lucic (13/5 rebounds), DeMarcus Nelson (13), Danilo Barthel (10), Maodo Lo (9), Diego Flaccadori (9), Petteri Koponen (4), Paul Zipser (4/5 rebounds), Mathias Lessort (4), Alex King (2) and Leon Radosevic.
Quotes:
FCBB head coach, Dejan Radonjic: "At the beginning we played well, before we got a bit careless in the first half, defensively as well as offensively. Luckily, towards the end we were able to muster some energy to win the game. The last seven, eight minutes we played very well. Now we have to prepare for more difficult weeks ahead. Congratulations to Crailsheim on a good season so far."
Crailsheim head coach, Tuomas Lisalo: "After this tough week for Bayern, they were still very strong. For three quarters we were able to keep up very well but in the last quarter we made some wrong decisions. We have to analyse whether it was our fault or the fact that Bayern became stronger and stronger. The game was tight, but then we gave it up quickly, which is disappointing for me. First of all, all I can do is congratulate them again."
DeMarcus Nelson: "Crailsheim was really very strong. They came here to win. When we were able to distance ourselves a bit, they came back into the game through runs and even moved up to within one point at the beginning of the last quarter. They really put us to the test, and we really had to get into it to win it in the end."
1st quarter
The starting five for FCBB coach Dejan Radonjic were DeMarcus Nelson, Vladimir Lucic, Petteri Koponen, Danilo Barthel and Greg Monroe. Bayern started hot from the opening tip-off and Monroe especially was energized and scored six points during the first three minutes along with two rebounds. The Munich squad defended well while also playing clean basketball. The logical consequence was an increase of the lead and a jump shot by Petteri Koponen took a double-digit ead at 16-6. Due to a few mistakes, the progress of the champions came to a standstill and the HAKRO Merlins sensed their chance to get back into the game. After the first quarter the score was 20-13 in favor of Bayern.
2nd quarter
The fans cheered the first three from Maodo Lo but the guests kept finding ways to stay close which is why they surprised the BBL so much this season. They play a fast, attractive and above all effective basketball, which kept them within four points halfway through the first half. Captain Barthel's three increased the lead while Zipser's dunk provided another double-digit lead forcing a Crailsheim time-out. A brilliant assist from Diego Flaccadori was a real highlight as the Italian cheekily served up Monroe behind his back during a fast break. At halftime Munich led 45-35.
3rd quarter
Lo took the initiative and breathed life into the offense with two dynamic buckets but Quincy Ford delighted the busload of Crailsheim fans with his fifth successful three-pointer. Suddenly the guests were on the Bayern's heels again - time-out for the home team, 53-47. The error rate on both sides was high and the Munich boys were out of rhythm and lost the quarter 12-18. After 30 minutes they were still ahead 57-53 thanks to the cushion from the first half.
4th quarter
The "Defense" calls from the guest fans became louder, because their team was clearly within reach. Bayern showed the only correct reaction and turned up the heat on defense. This quickly resulted in a 7-0 run for the home team. The FCBB left some chances on the free-throw line but the stour defense and a Lucic three kept the lead in the double-digit range, 70-58. The game was well in had for the last few minutes of the game and Bayern wrapped up their tenth win in ten games in the BBL with relative ease.
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Photo-Credit: Stickel, smoking stones
