Bayern wins 93-78 in Vechta

FC Bayern's basketball team got a big road win against last-place Rasta Vechta, but head coach Andrea Trinchieri's team found the going a little tougher than expected in a 93-78 victory over. However, it was also the fourth game in just eight days - and the fourth victory.

After poor defensive first half, Trinchieri's second technical foul at with the score at 56-53 (26th) brought back the necessary concentration as the team won the third quarter 26-15. For Bayern it was the 16th win in their 20th BBL outing, and they are currently in third place behind Ludwigsburg (1) and Berlin (2). The top scorer was Nick Weiler-Babb with 30 points, ahead of JaJuan Johnson (17). For Bayern, Wade Baldwin, D.J. Seeley and Jalen Reynolds were absent along with captain Nihad Djedovic (knee).

The Munich team traveled on to Braunschweig on Sunday evening, where they will play the Loewen on Tuesday evening (9.3., 19:00) after a day of rest. In the EuroLeague, the road game at Baskonia Vítoria-Gasteiz is scheduled for next Friday, 19:00 and BBL opponent Oldenburg will be the guest at the Audi Dome on Sunday, at 18:00. (both MagentaSport).

Ponits per quarter Bayern - Vechta:  22-26, 25-18, 26-15, 20-19

Stats: Two-point shooting: 57% (FCBB) // 51% (Vechta); Three-point shooting: 40% // 32%; Free-throw shooting: 76% // 84%; Rebounds: 35//33; Assists: 17 // 16; Turnovers: 8 // 14.

Quotes:
Adriano Vertemati, FCBB  Assistant coach: "We had a good game offensively, distributing the ball well against their man-to-man defense and zone. On defense, we struggled a bit in guarding Sosa. And we lost sight of their shooters too often, especially in the first half. We then had a good second half with fewer mistakes on defense and controlled the outcome. Congratulations to our players."

Nick Weiler-Babb: "It was a tough battle. We always do everything we can to win, even though we've had a lot of games lately. It's tough to play against any opponent in the BBL; anyone is capable of beating anyone here, regardless of their position in the standings. We are coming off a very tough home game against Panathinaikos, yet we have to play the right way especially away from home. We have a very passionate coach and he speaks his mind. I think he was trying to spur us on a little bit as well."

Paul Zipser: "We played with energy but made a lot of mistakes, had a lack of concentration. But when you have so many mistakes, maybe a few are also tired and not so focused in the BBL. For ten, 15 games, we've been talking a lot about that and trying to change that. It was also a bit too emotional today. Especially in the phase when the coach had to leave, I was also extremely preoccupied with myself and generally also too much with the referees. Maybe this situation has made it click with some people. But we simply have to come out differently from the first minute and the second unit has to play differently. It doesn't work that we have to fight over 40 minutes. The EuroLeague was zero percent in our head and in two days we have the next game directly in Braunschweig."

Game recap:
Finding the players with the most energy was Trinchieri's wish before the game, in which Nick Weiler-Babb, Jason George, Vladimir Lucic, JaJuan Johnson and Leon Radosevic started. The right energy was provided right at the beginning by Johnson, who attracted a lot of attention in the zone and helped Bayern get off to a good start (9-6/4th). But Vechta's newcomer Edgar Sosa had countered with an early ten points (19-18/7th). The fatigue on defense was noticeable for the Munich team. Due to a wild halfcourt three-pointer by Robin Christen, they therefore had to accept a four-point deficit at the end of the first quarter (26-22).

In the second quarter, the guests again struggled to score. Only an early timeout by Trinchieri revived the offense, which could still rely on Johnson (33-32/14th). For the home team Sosa continued to dominate who as he found great success under the basket. Although Bayern struggled with a plethora of whistely, aggressive drives to the basket by Amaize and Weiler-Babb allowed them to maintain a slim halftime lead (47-44). 

It took about three minutes until Weiler-Babb provided the first points in the second half  via a three-pointer. The hosts, on the other hand, kept trying to make the game as fast and uncomfortable as possible. Many whistles, including two technical fouls against Trinchieri, were the result. Assistant coach Adriano Vertemati took over. The team showed the right reaction and, led by top scorer Weiler-Babb, Zipser and Flaccadori they pulled away with a 17-4 run (73-59/28th).

In the final quarter, Vechta's aggressive style of play caused four fouls early on Munich's side. But the guests moved the ball well now and got open shots for Lucic and Radosevic (77-66/33rd). In addition, Weiler-Babb made it rain from three (7 of 9). Three minutes before the end Vechta came close again to within six points (83-77). Strong blocks by Johnson and Flaccadori and a spectacular putback dunk by Johnson removed all doubts of who would win this BBL showdown.

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Photo credit: Stickel, Becker