The FCBB stays on top with a 92-70 win

The high of the Bavarian basketball players continues: Andrea Trinchieri's team defended its lead in the standings on Sunday in front of 500 fans in Heidelberg with a commanding team performance, winning 92-70 in their third game since last Sunday.  With a points record of 26-8, the Munich team is now the only team with only four losses after Berlin's failure against Ludwigsburg. Top scorer was the in-form Augustine Rubit, who scored his 19 points before the break.

The FCBB travels on to the EuroLeague make-up game in Villeurbanne on Monday (Tuesday, 21:00).

SCHEDULE

Bayern started with a 12-0 run but the twice promoted team took on the physical fight early (18-18/11th). Rubit initiated the push for the halftime lead and at 80-59 (35th) the score was comfortable. Against an aggressive home team, they allowed only four turnovers, defended respectably, hit 13 threes and distributed minutes among all players.

Points per quarter Bayern - Heidelberg: 18-17, 29-16, 21-24, 24-13

Stats: Two-point shooting: 50% (FCBB) // 44% (Heidelberg); Three-point shooting: 46% // 35%; Free-throw shooting: 71% // 71%; Rebounds: 41 // 33; Assists: 19 // 12; Turnovers: 4 // 10.

Quotes:        

Andrea Trinchieri: "First of all, I would like to congratulate Heidelberg and their coach. I have a lot of respect for them because they play really hard every game. Today we produced a very good performance to control the game. Because we had respect for Heidelberg. (...) The low number of turnovers is a sign of focus and concentration. I like how we defended Lowry, he is the most effective pick-and-roll player in the whole BBL. (...) As a team we were very good on defense and tried to go inside-outside on offense. We did that very well and everyone helped, even the bench players, with a deep twelve-man rotation. That's very important when you have five games in ten days. (...) What's different now is you have Schilling with 14 minutes, George with 24 minutes and Obiesie with twelve - that helps us manage the energy level. To play EuroLeague games with the right rotation, you have to play as a team. This is a season with a lot of ups and downs, players are out of shape, tired or injured. (...) That's so many games, and you always have to find the reasons for those circumstances. And the most obvious thing is: this is what happens. All EuroLeague teams have these ups and downs."

Augustine Rubit: "It feels good to get the win this way. Every one of us played well and hit shots. I'm happy for the team. We stuck together and hung in there. Obviously we've had tough times, but it makes me happy that we put the pieces together and got a couple of wins in a row. I don't know why I scored so well today, but I'm also putting a lot of work into it. I get the opportunity from my teammates and the coaches, so I'm happy about that."

Branislav Ignjatovic: "First of all, thanks to Andrea. The first quarter we played very poorly, a 12-0 run for Bayern Munich, no fouls and no energy. The 2nd quarter we couldn't play Bayern with two team fouls. That's something the players still had to learn. Maybe I asked too much after halftime, because the answer was 20 fouls. But this balance is sorely needed. The first game against Munich we played very well, now in this game they were warned. I was not satisfied with the defense. I wasn't happy with the playmaking, but maybe that's a reality check. Maybe the timing was bad, maybe the game two weeks ago would have been better when Bayern lost to Chemnitz (laughs)."

Game recap:

FCBB head coach Andrea Trinchieri started Corey Walden, Ognjen Jaramaz, Jason George, Deshaun Thomas and Augustine Rubit. The first five did their job quite excellently with a brilliant 12-0 run and dampened the hopes of the 500 opposing fans considerably - timeout Heidelberg (4th minute of play). The interruption slowed down the Bavarians' momentum and the Heidelbergers came a bit closer (14-9/6th). Trinchieri distributed the playing time among many shoulders early on, but that didn't necessarily do the FCBB's rhythm any good. The offense was rather wild, and the Munich team did not manage a basket for almost four minutes. The hosts were closing in on the favorites - 18-17 after the first quarter.

Bayern regained their composure and put some points between them and the Academics of Heidelberg. Deshaun Thomas was unstoppable near the basket (25-21/13th). However, the promoted team, known for its passionate fighting, did not let itself be shaken off - time-out Trinchieri (27-25/14th). The discussion bore fruit, and the FCBB, who were much more focused, pulled away with a 7-0 spurt to take a 34-25 lead (16th). Munich's defense worked reliably and forced the hosts to lose the ball, Rubit's second three-pointer made it a double-digit lead (39-29/18th). Rubit's performance was outstanding, with a flawless shooting percentage and he scored 19 points in the first half alone, with only eight and a half minutes of playing time. The FCBB took a rather comfortable 47-33 lead into the halftime break.

First turnovers come in the third quarter, Radosevic hits his threes

As expected, the Heidelbergers came out of the locker room with a lot of momentum, but the league leaders successfully held their own (53-38/24th). The first Munich turnover in the game helped the Heidelbergers to shorten the lead to 55-44 (26th) and Coach Trinchieri asked for a timeout as a precaution. Leon Radosevic pleased his coach with his additional strength developed during the past season by sinking two threes in a row (61-46/27th). The hosts did not give up even in the face of a steady double-digit deficit  and the score was 68-57 after the third quarter.

The defense stands - no sign of fatigue

The Munich team was extremely difficult offensively, but at least the defense was on its toes. Two minutes into the final quarter, Jaramaz was fouled on a three-pointer and sank each of the three free throws (71-57/32nd). The first points in the last quarter were scored by the promoted team only after more than three minutes (74-59/34th). The FCBB remained concentrated, and there was no sign of any slackening. Thus, the distribution of playing time paid off in full, and suddenly the offense worked flawlessly again: Jaramaz hit six points in a row. His three-pointer for 80-59 marked the highest lead of the game so far. The game was won, Ogunsipe and Obiesie also got playing time, the latter took advantage and drilled a three-pointer, which created a 85-62 lead (38th). The successful defense of the league lead was no longer in danger, the Heidelberg fans could only head home with a consolation prize.

Photos: Adler, Stickel & FCBB