Bayern comes back against the MBC and remains undefeated in the BBL

FC Bayern Basketball won its fifth Bundesliga game and remains at the top of the standings. Head coach Andrea Trinchieri's team struggled for a half at the Central German BC in Weissenfels and was trailing by up to 15 points before figured things out on defense and got contributions from their stars. Top scorer was JaJuan Johnson with 22 points ahead of newly acquired D.J. Seeley (17 points) and the centers Jalen Reynolds (16) and Leon Radosevic (12). This time Bayern let Wade Baldwin and Vladimir Lucic as well as Nihad Djedovic stay home to rest and recouperate.    

The French champion Asvel Villeurbanne will already be a guest in the Audi Dome on Friday in the EuroLeague (11.12, 20:30). In the BBL, they will play Giessen on Sunday (13.12, 15:00).

Points per quarter Bayern - MBC: 26-28, 19-24, 26-18, 25-14

Stats: Two-point shooting: 55% (FCBB) // 53% (MBC); Three-point shooting: 41% // 40%; Free throw shooting: 88% // 83%; Rebounds: 35//27; Assists: 21 //16; Turnovers: 14 //18.

Quotes:
Andrea Trinchieri: "We had a few problems in the first half. The MBC played a very high tempo and we were a bit careless and weak. This meant that we were quickly trailing by 15. But we found our energy again and played 23 minutes of good basketball. The defense and the ball movement got better. Especially under the basket we finished consistently and therefore we went home with a win, despite a strong three-point performance of the hosts."

JaJuan Johnson: "We won the game in the second half. We allowed too many points at first. Then we generated a few stops and got into the game via defense. That's what the coach asked us to do at halftime as well."

"I myself tried to play aggressively and get under the basket. This is my game and that's how I want to help the team."

Robin Amaize: "It was a tough game against a team that initially played faster and with more energy. Luckily, in the end, they ran out of steam and we were able to catch up. The game wasn't pretty, but it's a victory. Now we have to focus on the next game."

Silvano Poropat (Coach MBC): "I can congratulate my team. We were the better team for a long time. But in the end the great physique of Bayern prevailed and we ran out of strength".

Game recap:
Trinchieri again rotated his starting five and went with Diego Flaccadori, Robin Amaize, Nick Weiler-Babb, JaJuan Johnson and Leon Radosevic. Trinchieri also "rotated" and let assistant Adriano Vertemati take charge on the sidelines. Thanks to Radosevic's accuracy, Bayern started confidently. But the MBC, as was evident early on, had great confidence in their shots and showed their offensive talent. When Paul Sipzer's lay-up missed, the first quarter was already awarded to the hosts, who scored 71 percent from the field: 28-26.

Head coach Trinchieri now took over on the sidelines. But the MBC scored from the outside (7/13 from three in the first half) and streaked to a 17-2 run (45-30/15th) - as was the case last game against Khimki (80-77), the difference was 15 points. After a time-out, however, JaJuan Johnson and Jalen Reynolds took over and brought the FCBB closer again with their dominant presence (50-40/17th) Shortly thereafter, newcomer Seeley hit from deep. With a lot of energy the defense slowly began to take hold, but at the break they were still behind 52-45.

The third quarter also began again with a triple for the MBC - but the guests did not allow much more. Seeley joined the defense and managed to get an offensive foul called on the MBC (55-51rd/23). But the Wolves, led by their top scorer Michal Michalak, braced themselves and stayed in the game. It was another Seely three that put Bayern back in the lead shortly before the end of the third quarter (71-70).

The final period belonged to the Munich team from the start. The MBC ran out of reserves, which Weiler-Babb and Reynolds were able to use for quick points (78-70/33rd). Johnson scored at will and gave them the first double-digit lead (86-75/36th). The resistance was broken and the fifth victory was achieved.

TO THE SCHEDULE

Photo Credit: Embroidery, Cover