The FCBB loses 95-89 against Bayreuth in the first German Cup game

Two days after their furious comeback win at Fenerbahce Istanbul (75-71), FC Bayern's basketball players had the mileage of the last week finally wear them down. The Munich team lost the first game in the BBL Cup in Weissenfels against Bayreuth 95-89 and thus no longer have the desired participation in the Top Four in the Audi Dome (1/2.11.) in their own hands. Bayern gained a ten-point lead in the third quarter (59-49/23.) but in the end they lacked the necessary energy on defense against the well-rested Upper Franconians. Paul Zipser (18) and Robin Amaize (14) were top scorers for the Munich squad.

The other Cup games for Bayern will be against host team MBC (25.10., 18:00) and Crailsheim (26.10., 20:30) 

The distribution of points by quarters: 22-20, 18-22, 26-20, 23-33.

Stats - : Two-point shooting 53% (FCBB) // 66% (Bayreuth); three-point shooting: 35% // 47%; free-throw shooting: 100% // 71%; rebounds: 30 // 35; assists: 24 // 26; ball turnovers: 8 // 13.

Quotes:

Andrea Trinchieri: "Congratulations to Bayreuth, they played with more energy and freshness and deserved to win. We played badly, but then had a good start into the third quarter. But that was not enough to control the game. We weren't good on defense or rebounding and didn't hit the open shots that we had."

Robin Amaize: "We ran out of energy, Bayreuth successfully guessed that may happen. We wanted to make up for it with our reserves after an extremely exhausting week and play our game. But Bayreuth out-scored us and deserved to win in the end. A lot of our guys played many minutes last week but that can't be an excuse; we knew that and prepared for it, so we deserved to lose."

Game recap:
Given the strain on his team, coach Trinchieri had said before the game: "It is what it is. We have to make an effort, and we have to be ready to fight". Bayern certainly did so, at the beginning with Zan Marko Sisko, Nihad Djedovic, Robin Amaize, Paul Zipser and Leon Radosevic. However, the shooting percentage early on proved the lack of freshness. But even if things didn't go so well on offense, the defense was reliable at first. The Munich team worked hard for each other, and after the first quarter they were ahead 22-20.

The Bayreuth team, on the other hand, increased their effort and took a small lead. A Zipser three came at the right time after Bayreuth had taken an eight-point lead. The reward was a narrow 42-40 deficit at the break. The second half began with a jump shot by Amaize which kick-started a10-0 run to the delight of the few FCBB fans in the Arena Weissenfels (54-47/25.). Nick Weiler-Babb followed up his own miss and brought the first double-digit lead for the Munich team (59-49/27.). Lack of concentration, however, quickly played into the opponent's card but thanks to Amaize the lead held, 66-62.

Bayreuth's marksman Frank Bartley, however, ran hot in the last quarter, sinking two threes in a row to take a two-point lead. Bayern was faced gave up a 13-2 run with six minutes to play. The FCBB reacted decisively with more potency on defense and shrunk the deficit to 80-77. But with only 157 seconds left to play and down 84-77, the not entirely unexpected upset was on the horizon. The Munich team missed four threes in a row, Bayreuth hit their free-throws and the FCBB headed home with a loss.

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Photo Credit: Embroidery & Cover