Bayern pulls off an important 97-76 win over rival Wurzburg

The Bayern basketball team bid farewell to the month of February with a commanding victory in the BBL against s.Oliver Wurzburg and thus go into the complicated month of March with some momentum. Head coach Andrea Trinchieri's team gave the Franconians no chance in a 97-76 win, improving their record to 30-8. After a decent first half, the FCBB went on a 22-3 run from 53-52 (25th) to 75-55 (32nd) within about seven minutes. Five players scored in double figures, the best being guard D.J. Seeley (20).

For the FCBB, Vladimir Lucic, Wade Baldwin and Diego Flaccadori were resting alongside captain Nihad Djedovic (knee). Center Leon Radosevic, who twisted his ankle before the break was prevented from playing in the second half.  

For Bayern, the stress now really starts again: They will play 13 games in March including three next week: in the EuroLeague on Tuesday, 20:45, at Red Star Belgrade, on Thursday at the Audi Dome against Panathinaikos Athens and on Sunday in the far north of Germany in Vechta.

Points per quarter Bayern - Wurzburg: 27-25, 18-15, 27-15, 25-21

Stats: Two-point shooting: 50% (FCBB) // 61% (Würzburg); Three-point shooting: 36% // 22%; Free-throw shooting: 89% // 86%; Rebounds: 35 // 35; Assists: 16 // 16; Turnovers: 6 // 18.

Quotes:
Andrea Trinchieri: "We had problems in the first two quarters when we didn't find the right way to play. But in the second half we were better on defense and that allowed us to control the game. I think it was a good team performance, we were able to distribute the minutes well and everyone was able to contribute something to the win. Wurzburg is a good team now with the two new players, including an experienced guard in Lowery. But the crucial thing was that we kept our intensity constant for the whole 40 minutes. The most important thing now is that the players stay healthy. We lost Leon today, who has a problem with his ankle; we hope he can travel with the team tomorrow. Again, we're going to take it game by game and just try to raise our level again on both ends of the court."

D.J. Seeley: "Every game is tough right now. We did what was needed in the second half. That's when we created stops and that's when we got into transition. It was the defense that allowed our offense to get going today. Every upcoming game is now a must win for us, especially in the Euroleague. We have to take every game seriously to earn a spot in the playoffs."

Game recap:
Andrea Trinchieri started with Nick Weiler-Babb, Seeley, youngster Jason George, JaJuan Johnson and Leon Radosevic as the starting five. The FCBB found their rhythm early despite the exhausting game against Tel Aviv (72-70) and took the lead early led by Seeley and Johnson (16-8/4th). Trinchieri made the most of the good start and gave newly acquired David Kramer his Munich debut after just five minutes. But Wurzburg held their own and got back into the game (27-25) with free throws (10 of 11). 

The second quarter began similarly with the guests finding success with second chances, which did not please Trinchieri at all - time-out (30-30/13th). While Dennis Wucherer's team continued to attack the basket aggressively, the FCBB game shifted more to the three-point line, from which Zipser, Seeley and Zisko scored (39-35/17th). Coupled with a concentrated performance on the defensive end, Bayern maintained a slim lead at the break (45-40).

In the second half, it was again top scorer Seeley (20 points) who created on offense (53-47/23rd). But the guests with Alex King as well as rookie Robert Lowery had the answers early in the second half (56-54/26th). Although Radosevic did not return after the break due to ankle problems, Bayern started to exploit their height advantages under the basket and repeatedly got second chances through Gist and Reynolds. With a 13-0 run, the hosts were able to clearly distance themselves for the first time in the game (72-55).

At the beginning of the final quarter, Seeley added another three-pointer before Wurzburg scored again from the free-throw line (77-57/33rd). The resistance of the guests was now weakening, while Robin Amaize, made his comeback after two months out due to injury. After an alley-oop to Reynolds, the lead had grown to a whopping 27 points (88-61/35th). The commanding home victory was wrapped up early.

TO THE SCHEDULE

Photo credit: Eirich, Stickel, Gamel, Rauchensteiner