The FC Bayern basketball players returned to BBL action with a home win after two recent defeats: Head coach Andrea Trinchieri's team won 83-62 against ninth-placed Medi Bayreuth on Tuesday evening. They are still in third place after 27 gamedays with a 21-6 record. After a slow start in the second quarter against the Franconian zone, the Munich team clearly set itself apart for the first time with a 12-0 run. In all four quarters they held the guest to under 20 points. The best scorers were national player Paul Zipser (19), Jalen Reynolds (18) and JaJuan Johnson (13).  

Against Bayreuth the injured Nick Weiler-Babb (foot) rested, in addition D.J. Seeley and James Gist were spared. Captain Nihad Djedovic (arthroscopy knee) is still missing due to injury.

Bayern travels to Spain on Thursday for the 34th and final game of the EuroLeague regular season at league leader FC Barcelona (Friday, 21:00). BBL duties follow again on Sunday against Braunschweig and on Tuesday in Bonn, before the Top Four for the German Cup is played at the Audi Dome the following weekend. In the semifinals, the FCBB will face Ulm.

Points per quarter Bayern - Bayreuth: 18-19, 26-10, 17-18, 22-15

Stats: Two-point shooting: 77% (FCBB) // 47% (Bayreuth); Three-point shooting: 15% // 15%; Free-throw shooting: 80% // 94%; Rebounds: 29 // 33; Assists: 21 // 11; Turnovers: 13 // 18.

Quotes:
Andrea Trinchieri: "We took the first quarter badly. I think after that we played a better defense than in the last games. We were more focused and had more effort on defense; that's the reason why we controlled the game in the end. We were able to distribute the minutes well and play with a few less problems this time than last time, when we lacked energy and in the end the result was a win. It was a good step forward compared to our last performances. I have a lot of respect for Raoul Korner and his team because it's never easy to play against them. They always implement their systems very well and accurately. Today we were just more focused defensively and provoked bad shots from a team with good shooters. That was our goal and we achieved that today. 

Jalen Reynolds: "We won the game over 40 minutes today. I think everyone was highly focused and focused throughout. We stood together and stayed positive throughout. Everyone did their job. In some situations we weren't sorted properly and easy baskets came. We have to work on that in the next game. I always play with full commitment. But it's not just about me, it's about team success. We now have to stay focused. Then a win is also possible on Friday against Barcelona."

Raoul Korner, Coach Bayreuth: "First of all, congratulations to Coach Trinchieri and his team for the clear and deserved victory. We were able to keep up for exactly one quarter, it wasn't enough for more - that's a good way to sum it up. We had a bit of a quarrel with ourselves and with things we shouldn't quarrel with. In a game against FC Bayern, you have to focus on yourself and your game for 40 minutes, and we didn't manage that today. At this point, congratulations again to Bayern for the great performance in the EuroLeague. That made us all proud and is a statement for FC Bayern Basketball, but also for all of German basketball."

Game recap:
Wade Baldwin, Robin Amaize, Vladimir Lucic, JaJuan Johnson and Leon Radosevic were the names of Trinchieri's chosen starting five. The Munich team started in style as Johnson drilled a shot from mid-range. Both teams collected four fouls within the first four minutes (6:7). Bayreuth knew how to take advantage of this circumstance and increasingly looked for the one-on-one matchups. But the hosts matched the physicality and held their own through Jalen Reynolds and Paul Zipser (19-18 Bayreuth/10th).

In the second quarter, it was Reynolds again who flexed his muscles under the basket (26-22/13th). The Franconians stuck to the tactic of jumping into one-on-ones (only two assists at halftime), but had visibly less success with it. A little too much laxity by Baldwin initially prevented the Munich team from pulling away (30-26/17th). A 12-0 run within three minutes earned them a clear lead at the break (44-29).

In the second half, Bayreuth started to press all over the court and found their way back into the game with toughness. However, FCBB lost its rhythm only briefly (48-39/26th) and Zan Mark Sisko (six assists) put the offense in order and, together with an accurate Zipser, restored the old lead (61-47/30th).

In the final quarter a similar picture emerged. Bayreuth defended well but could achieve little against a stout Munich defense. Remarkably, the Franconians' team foul limit was already exceeded after two minutes (67-51/38th).  After a Sisko alley-oop to Reynolds the lead had grown to as many as 24 points (81-57). Bayern walked away with a comfortable win after a difficult week.

TO THE SCHEDULE

Photo credit: Eirich, Stickel