Bayern wins in a full house in Bamberg

The week started lousy, but it ended with two strong road wins: Less than 48 hours after the EuroLeague upset at defending champion Efes Istanbul (89-81), the Bayern basketball team also solved the tough BBL task in Bamberg. This was their third outing since Sunday, winning 94-87. In an intense rivalry atmosphere in front of 6,150 fans, Rubit (23 pts, 5 rebounds) again stood out from a very focused team, with Winston (16, 6 assists) and Giffey (11, 5 rebounds) playing major roles as well.

Hunter has to sit

The BBL record now stands at 12-4. In addition to Lucic and Obst, Hunter also had to miss the game due to an eye infection while DJ Seeley was in the squad for him for the first time.

Both teams initially scored at a high rate and the score was 30-26 after the first quarter. The first bigger lead (49:39/19th) was take shortly after the half. But the guest defended hard, never trailed and were well on course at 82-67 (33th). With a last burst of energy they finished with a win.

Score per quarter Bayern - Bamberg: 30-26, 21-17, 24-21, 19-23.

Stats: Two-point shooting: 60% (FCBB) // 63% (Bamberg); Three-point shooting: 35% // 40%; Free-throw shooting: 71% // 64%; Rebounds: 37 // 31; Assists: 18 // 20; Turnovers: 9 // 12

Quotes:

Andrea Trinchieri: "It's always good to come back here, thanks to everyone for the warm welcome. It was a fun game, not to coach but to watch. I have to congratulate Oren because they played at a high tempo, spread the court and hit some crazy threes.

But we had a good attitude and a very solid game after just arriving here from Istanbul last night. It's a good win, without looking great, but we did what was required to win. It's hard to cover everything when a team plays with five shooters. We had to change things up against Miller, he did a good job of attacking us and was more of a running back going for the first down every time. We moved the ball well and found the players that were hot on offense. (...)

Augustine is a modern big man, he can post up and shoot, play two positions. He's a big piece of the puzzle of our team. Sometimes I have to push him because he is still too shy. At Efes he had two fouls quickly and was cold, but in the second half he was great."

Augustine Rubit: "I am happy that we won. We had to respond after last weekend's big loss and with a new gameplan. And this time we were focused. We expected Bamberg to play well today. We just had to stay calm in front of this crowd. This is Freak City, the fans are crazy. Anywhere you have fans like that, the home team is really pushed. We knew we had to stay calm and fight until the end. Now we will rest and practice. I'm glad we have the opportunity to work on new elements and adjust the gameplan."

Niklas Wimberg: "That was a tough one. We had to leave everything on the field and fight hard. I'm happy with my performance and help where I can. I try to fill in the gaps and do my part to save power. It was definitely very good today."                  

Game recap:

Gameday 16 of the BBL - Cassius Winston, Nick Weiler-Babb, Isaac Bonga, Augustine Rubit and Freddie Gillespie were the starters for FCBB coach Andrea Trinchieri. The arena was sold-out for the first time since 2019  and the crowd was treated to an offensive spectacle from the jump ball, with just about every shot from both teams finding the basket. After five minutes of play, a total of over 30 points were already on the scoreboard, but Bayern always held the lead, even if only by a few points (18-14). Munich played fast and looked for quick finishes before the Bamberg defense could set. Trinchieri rotated through to spread the load on many shoulders and his team shined early in the game with nine assists. After a fast-paced opening quarter Munich was ahead 30-26.

Rubit with double-digit scoring early on

Bayern looked awake and extremely focused, not only because of their easy scoring, but also because they had already grabbed four offensive rebounds. But of course the Bambergers were also playing well and with a small 5-2 run they forced Trinchieri to call a timeout (32-31/13th). An important three-pointer by Weiler-Babb brought a small relief and Bayern was back on track (37-33/14th). Rubit caused trouble for the Bamberg defense and had 13 points in the second quarter (43-36/16th). Everyone worked hard for each other and seized the momentum for the FCBB - Bamberg's coach Oren Amiel reacted with a time-out (48-39/18th). After the first half, in which all players had scored, the FCBB led 51-43.

Munich fights hard and keeps the lead

Bamberg got off to the better start after halftime and after a 9-2 run Trinchieri called a timeout (53-52/22nd). Bamberg was pressing hard now and momentum was in danger of shifting at any moment. But Munich picked up their defensive intensity and Winston was successful managed a three-point play (56-52/23rd). The hosts hit almost everything, but so did Bayern as Rubit and Giffey hit from deep and Winston again managed a crafty three-point play (67-60/26th). Munich fought passionately as a team. If the ball was lost in front, they defended in the back so that Bamberg did not get a shot within the 24 seconds available. The atmosphere in the hall was hot but the FCBB did the best they could and didn't let themselves be affected and kept their calm. After quarter three, the FCBB led 75-64.

Rubit decides the game in a nail-biting final quarter

Now it was up to the FCBB to prevent the return Bamberg in the game and with a Giffey three-pointer and a Bonga bucket they kept them at bay (80-64/32nd). Walden scored a relatively easy basket and forced a time-out from Bamberg (82-67/33rd). The FCBB kept the lead in double digits which made the crowd noticeably quieter (82-71/34th). But a just a few seconds later Trinchieri asked for a timeout, as his team had missed two or three missed shots while Bamberg had reduced the lead to 82-74 (35th). Winston stopped Bamberg's 10-0 run with just under four minutes to go but their poor shot selection just let Bamberg get right into the game. Winston scored via layup to make it 86-79 (103 seconds left). In a kind of private duel Winston and Miller went back and forth down the court each answering the others' score (88-83/ 60 seconds left). Rubit grabbed the offensive rebound after a missed shot by Weiler-Babb and sank the shot despite the foul, and then made the free throw (91-83). This play decided the outcome in a gripping game in which Bayern never trailed.