The FC Bayern basketball team won the BBL classic against southern rival Bamberg by a godo margin, 84-70. The thus elebrate their seventh victory on the eighth gameday. The Munich team thus takes the lead in the overall record against the Upper Franconians for the first time (22-21 all-time) and showed a very mature performance on defense, especially in the third quarter. Jalen Reynolds was the top scorer for Bayern with 17 points.

Already on Wednesday (Dec. 30, 19:30.), the FCBB receives the second-placed team in the EuroLeague in FC Barcelona - a big test at the end of the year in the Audi Dome.

Points per quarter Bayern - Bamberg: 23-24, 23-17, 22-10, 16-19.

Stats: Two-point shooting: 67% (FCBB) // 51% (Bamberg); Three-point shooting: 38% // 50%; Free-throw shooting: 88% // 78%; Rebounds: 25 // 23; Assists: 18 // 13; Ball turnovers: 10 // 15.

Quotes:
FCBB head coach, Andrea Trinchieri: "Today we played against a good team from Bamberg, their results in the Champions League showed that they play with a lot of IQ and have good players. We played very badly in the first half, we were slow in defense and  in our reactions and very passive. What I learned is that we need to compensate our energy more. But we have a short rotation because some players are currently not available and we have a lot of games, through that some players have to play more than normal. In the second half we played well, we were good on defense, we played aggressively and we controlled the game. (...) Sasha Grant played very well today. He has a super plus-minus stat today, helped the team a lot and deserves to get minutes. It's always very dangerous to say you're happy about a young player, so I'd rather be very unhappy about Sasha. (...) Sisko had a little problem in Kaunas, we didn't want to take any chances with him today and Diego did his job well."

Jalen Reynolds: "We responded well in the second half by improving our defense and running the right plays. We simply stuck together and performed as a team. I want to lead by example: If I come in, I play hard and show everyone else to be ready when the coach puts them in."

Paul Zipser: "We were a little sloppy at the beginning and didn't have enough energy in the first half, maybe we were a little rusty after the holidays. In the second half we started defending well and then things automatically got better on offense. After losing the last three games, it was important for us to play an intense and good game again, and we did that for long periods in the second half. Now we have to keep working on ourselves and learn to play consistently well for 40 minutes. Especially in the Bundesliga, we often don't start the game well and then make life difficult for ourselves. If we go in with more energy right at the start, we can also use our young players more at the end."

Bamberg coach, Johan Roijakkers: "Congratulations to Andrea and FC Bayern Basketball for the deserved win. The first 20 minutes we kept up well. After halftime, Bayern picked up the pace and we fell apart. On offense, we didn't run the ball well anymore and weren't moving enough. My young players gave everything until the end to make the result as acceptable as possible."

Game recap:
Wade Baldwin, D.J. Seeley, Nihad Djedovic, JaJuan Johnson and Leon Radosevic were in the starting lineup for the FCBB. As expected, the action was intense from the first second and the tempo was high. The lead changed several times and the Bamberg team, which has also been successful internationally lately, played neck-and-neck with the Bayern squad (10-10/5th minute). Reynolds and Zipser brought fresh energy from the bench but the score remained tied (15-15/8th). Reynolds provided points under the basket and single-handedly scored six points in a row to make it 20-20 (10th). After an entertaining first quarter, the Munich team trailed 24-23.

The game was dynamic and exciting to watch- a pity that no spectators were present (29-29/12th). The Bambergers were a bit better in rhythm and attacked on offense. Defensively, Bayern was not yet running at full temperature, but stayed on the heels of the guests with a solid offensive game. A three-pointer by Paul Zipser came at just the right time and Nick Weiler-Babb made a confident jump shot to give Bayern a 43-41 lead (19th). Out of a timeout, Bayern came onto the floor focused and implemented their plan with pinpoint accuracy: Zipser hit a three-pointer that capped an 8-0 run for a 46-41 halftime score.

Bamberg came out strong with five Vitali points, but the FCBB were on their toes and successfully countered (50-46/22nd). FCBB captain Djedovic was repeatedly played through near the basket. Seeley finished a nice drive to the basket for an 8-1 run forcing a Bamberg timeout. Bayern's defense did a great job in this phase of the game while a three-pointer by Wade Baldwin provided the first double-digit lead (59-47/27th). Thanks in part to youngster Sasha Grant, the Munich team allowed only ten Bamberg points in the third quarter - the clear 68-51 lead for the Munich team after 30 minutes was the result.

A powerful Reynolds dunk opened the final quarter, after which the teams neutralized each other for three minutes - so the clear Munich lead held (70-51/31st). The FCBB knew no mercy and allowed the first basket of the Franconians only after four-plus minutes (71-53/35th). Weiler-Babb got free under the basket and stuffed the ball into the Bamberg basket with emphasis and the lead was twenty (73-53/35th). The final five minutes were well managed by Trinchieri and Bayern walked away with a win.

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Photo Credit: Rauchensteiner & Stickel