Bayern wins their sixth straight game

Less than 48 hours after the great EuroLeague upset over Efes Istanbul, FC Bayern's basketball players also passed the character test in Crailsheim. Bayern found way to pull of a 79-74 win on the road at fifth-place Crailsheim - the sixth BBL victory in a row - and fourth within a week. With a 40-8 points record, head coach Andrea Trinchieri's busy squad remains in third place in the BBL.

Bayern initially controlled the game, but ten turnovers before the break and some threes from the Merlins led to a 43-36 deficit shortly into the second half (22nd). Munich, led by top scorer Wade Baldwin (32), answered with a 16-1 run to take a 52-44 lead (26th). In a hectic final phase of a tough game, they stood their ground against all odds with a show of will and took revenge for the loss earlier this season.  

Bayern's BBL schedule continues on Tuesday evening when they host the MBC in the Audi Dome at 19:00. Bayern will then play on Thursday in the EuroLeague at Valencia, Saturday in Hamburg for the first time ever, Tuesday after next against Fenerbahce and Thursday against Kaunas - another five games in ten days.

Points per quarter Bayern - Crailsheim: 16-15, 15-20, 27-20, 21-19.

Stats: Two-point shooting: 54% (FCBB) // 50% (Crailsheim); Three-point shooting: 38% // 38%; Free-throw shooting: 80% // 61%; Rebounds: 38 // 27; Assists: 12 // 20; Turnovers: 15 // 16.

Quotes:
Andrea Trinchieri: "It was a difficult, difficult game against a strong opponent. They hit big threes, but we go home with a very good win. We played very well in the second half. This win was very important to keep our good run going and also to win the head-to-head. Moving on to the next game, we'll be back at it in 48 hours."

Wade Baldwin: "Crailsheim played very well, they are a good team that beat us in the first matchup. We had to bring the energy in the second half. We made good plays on offense and we defended better and rebounded very well at the end. That was the key to the win. Nick Weiler-Babb is a gifted defender who always goes after the best opponents - that's his job. He's been doing that all season. But we still have some important games ahead of us - there's still a long way to go. As against Efes Istanbul, our energy on defense was the decisive factor today in the second half. I'm happy that we won."

Game recap:
"All that matters is energy," Andrea Trinchieri said before the game, starting with Wade Baldwin, David Kramer, Vladimir Lucic, James Gist and Leon Radosevic. The Bayern defense played well from the start and Baldwin in particular dominated with ten points in five minutes (13-8/5th). The Crailsheimers fought back and snatched the lead with a 7-0 run to take the lead. Concentration on the part of the Munich team was clearly in need of improvement as six turnovers in the first quarter was a clear issue despite a small lead, 16-15.

The FCBB played sloppy offense but the defense prevented Crailsheim from pulling ahead (20-19/15th). However, the Hakro Merlins defended even better and took the lead again despite a Zipser three-pointer and an artistic basket by Seeley. The hosts now clearly played better and went on a 12-2 run to take a 35-27 lead. Two free throws by Lucic and a jumper by Zipser brought glimmer of hope but Bayern trailed 35-31 at the half.

Munich continued to work hard to turn things around and the ball started to zip its way around the court better than it had in the first half. Baldwin was the linchpin on offense and his three-pointer and two assists to Reynolds established a 45-44 lead (25th). The Munich team was now in a flow and ran away with a 12-0 run (52-44/26th). The Merlins weren't phased and hit two threes of their own (56-52/29th). 

Bayern started to control the offensive boards and the second and partly third chances secured the lead thanks to a Baldwin three-point play, 64:60 (33rd). Crailsheim's Elias Lasisi sank his third three-pointer but Baldwin answered with a dunk to make it 66-63 (35th). Baldwin then made his next three-pointer to make it 71-65 (38th), but Crailsheim scored five quick points to cut it to 71-70 (80 seconds left). Munich kept the upper hand by a razor-thin margin thanks to a difficult three-pointer from Baldwin, but especially to three rebounds and a block by Lucic.

As on Friday against Efes - there with James Gist - the last decisive situation was reserved for Nick Weiler-Babb: With nine seconds on the clock and trailing by three points, the hosts had a chance to equalize - but the FCBB defensive weapon stole the ball from Trae Bell-Hayes and hammered home a 360-degree dunk. W

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Photo Credit: Stickel, dieLICHTBUILDER