Bayern secures 74-70 win late in southern rivalry game

With the eleventh win in their 14th BBL outing, the weary FC Bayern basketball team opened the week which will see another four games with a win as head coach Andrea Trinchieri's team secured a narrow 74-70 win over Wuerzburg. Bayern was able to overcome the effort of the opponents and their personnel problems only in a hard-fought final quarter with defense and fighting spirit. In a game without offensive rhythm, the guests delivered a good performance in the first half with a lead of eight points  (19-11/11th). Ten turnovers and only one three-pointer in 17 attempts led to a rough first half for Bayern. In the third quarter, the difference was as high as nine points in favor of Wuerzburg (53-44/30th) before they caught their local rivals with a 25-17 comeback in the last quarter.             

In terms of personnel, Trinchieri at least received some support on Tuesday night from returnees Nihad Djedovic (15 minutes), top scorer Wade Baldwin (18 points in 32 minutes), Paul Zipser and Vladimir Lucic (21 each). While Zan Mark Sisko, Robin Amaize (both in training) and youngster Matej Rudan (ankle), on the other hand, continue to be absent as in recent weeks while Jalen Reynolds and Diego Flaccadori took a break.

In two days, on Friday evening (Feb. 5, 20:30), Alba Berlin comes to the Audi Dome for a EuroLeague rivalry game, before the Munich team plays Bamberg (Feb. 7, 18:00) and Ulm (Feb. 9, 19:00) in the BBL.

Points per quarter Bayern - Wuerzburg: 11-17, 16-16, 22-20, 25-17.

Stats: Two-point percentage: 59% (FCBB) // 3 6% (Würzburg); Three-point percentage: 18% // 36%; Free-throw percentage: 81% // 80%; Rebounds: 38 // 42; Assists: 11 // 15; Ball losses: 15 // 19.

Quotes:
Andrea Trinchieri: "Every game is tough for us at this moment, we just have to get through this period somehow. We were able to get a few players back today and finally give others some rest. I can't expect great quality from my players, only commitment. And that's what we brought. We struggled the whole game and still found the way to win it in the end."

Vladimir Lucic: "Every team in the BBL is very motivated to play against us; they play Bayern Munich in top shape every time. Honestly, I think the team lost some rhythm with my return in the last two or three days and also with Nihad's. And the game plan with all the injuries is really crazy. After our bad start, they got confidence and nobody when you just show up on the court. Every win we have to earn. In the BBL, with this schedule, the only thing that matters is winning."

Game Recap:
Coach Trinchieri started with Baldwin, D.J. Seeley, returnee Lucic, JaJuan Johnson and Leon Radosevic. The first minutes for the Munich team were promising, but there was no rhythm yet. A 10-0 run by Würzburg prompted Trinchieri to call a timeout (12-4/5th). Weiler-Babb came off the bench and immediately hit his first shot. The hosts around FCBB loanee Alex King (10 points) obviously tried to copy Crailsheim's strategy and play fast. Bayern facilitated this by losing seven turnovers in the first quarter, at the end of which they trailed 17-11.

The guests increased the intensity and the defense put Wuerzburg under pressure, however, scoring was still a problem (21-18 Wuerzburg/14th). Baldwin and Zipser started a 6-0 run thanks to tight defense and took the first lead of the game for Bayern (24-23/17th). However, Wuerzburg remained a very unpleasant opponent and hit back with a 10-1 run, and already the lead was gone again at the half and Bayern trailed - 33-27.

Lucic came out of the locker room and pumped energy into the FCBB offense has his three and one by Baldwin gave the team a 37-36 lead (24th). Again, Würzburg responded with a run, this time 10-2 - timeout Bayern. The interruption did not stop the momentum for Wuerzburg as Bayern's lack of concentration was exploited (51-42/29th). Gist and Johnson worked hard on the offensive boards and got the team back to within four points, 53-49 at the end of the third quarter.

Wuerzburg pulled back on defense and focused on rebounds but Nick Weiler-Babb drilled a three-pointer for a 59-56 lead (33rd). The home team reached the team foul line early after just four minutes into the quarter. The defensive quality of Munich approached the level in the EuroLeague and caused the hosts to stumble as they remained without a basket for several minutes (67-58/37th). The Bavarians carried a lead through the quarter although the Wuerzburgers once again shortened it to 72-70. Baldwin settled the game in his own way: with speed and determination and points at the rim.

TO THE SCHEDULE

Photo credit: Meshko