The Bayern basketball team goes into its short break with a defeat: Once again, the team lost to the Niners of Chemnitz, 77-58 just 45 hours after the home victory over Frankfurt. With a 32-10 points record, they remain at the top of the standings ahead of Bonn (30-12 like Chemnitz). The Munich team, which is shorthanded, can now regain its strength until the EuroLeague highlight in the Audi Dome against ZSKA Moscow (Thursday, Feb. 24, 19:00) because of the cup break.  

The guests played in front of 3,000 spectators with a similar squad as on Sunday, with Jason George helping out from the injured players. Demond Greene was on the sidelines this time in place of head coach Andrea Trinchieri, who was prevented from attending at short notice for family reasons.

Chemnitz hit six of nine threes at the beginning and their the Bayern shots fell too seldom with a 32 percent shooting percentage in the first half - 42-24 (18th). The Niners kept the intensity high and deserved the home victory, especially since Bayern's three-point shooting (18%) was completely missing. Top FCBB scorer: Deshaun Thomas with 14 points.

Points per quarter Bayern - Chemnitz: 13-22, 15-24, 13-17, 17-14

Stats: Two-point shooting: 61% (FCBB) // 55% (Chemnitz); Three-point shooting: 16% // 42%; Free-throw shooting: 69% // 86%; Rebounds: 29 // 36; Assists: 14 // 14; Turnovers: 12 // 13

Quotes:         

Demond Greene, Assistant Coach Munich: "First of all, congratulations to Chemnitz, who deserved the victory. It was difficult to play here, as always. They got a lot of good shots and scored. Of course, our defense was also to blame. We definitely lacked the energy. We clearly noticed today that our squad is not that deep and that we are missing many players. You could see the difference on both sides. We didn't hit anything, Chemnitz hit almost every shot and our scoring was completely lacking, which is why we only scored just over 50 points. We desperately need the break now. It's important that the players slow down a bit, both physically and mentally. The last few weeks have been very strenuous. It will do them a lot of good if they can then come back with fresh bodies and fresh minds."

Game recap:

Corey Walden, Nick Weiler-Babb, Joshua Obiesie, Deshaun Thomas and Leon Radosevic were the first choices for Trinchieri'S representative, Demond Greene. Without hesitation, both teams started shooting well from the three-point line. Mindaugas Susinskas especially proved to be extremely accurate for the hosts with eight points in a row. However, the Bavarians knew what to expect at the Chemnitz exhibition center and initially held their own against the offensive fireworks (15-10 Chemnitz/6th minute of play). Nevertheless, the usually tough style of play put noticeable strain on the already battered players. While Zan Mark Sisko painfully felt the physicality in his move to the basket, the Saxons used their fresher legs for a 22-13 lead after the first quarter.  

Also in the second quarter, the home side stayed true to their form from downtown - the extraordinary scoring increased their lead (7 of 11 in the first half). Thomas, on the other hand, declared the opponent's zone his territory and kept Bayern within reach (32-22/13.) The fourth-place team in the standings, however, remained relentless and kept pressing the tempo with ex-Munich player Nelson Weidemann. Even when Demond Greene tried to relieve the short rotation with time-outs and frequent changes, his team was usually one step too late. A clear deficit at the break was the logical consequence (46-28).   

Niners continue to push the pace

New quarter, similar picture. Tired Munich players tried in vain to stop the fourth-placed team, who continued to run away with the game. While center Jonas Richter seemingly effortlessly added on to his usually week three-point quota, the guests also hit their open shots too infrequently (59-37/25th). A spectacular block by Weiler-Babb after losing the ball proved the team's morale, but they also had to give up the third quarter 17-13 (63-41).

Bayern wins the final quarter, Chemnitz the game

In the final quarter both teams seemed to have come to terms with the eventuality of the outcome. Initially, both Chemnitz and Bayern hardly managed to score any more points (66-43/33rd). Without the necessary strength, the Bavarians now also lacked good luck in their finishing. With a three-pointer by Jason George, the guests decided the last quarter 17:14 in their favor.  However, there was nothing more to counter the Niners' home victory (77-58).

(c) Stickel & Stimpel