Bayern wins in Braunschweig

Job done and headed home: Thanks to a well-played second half, the Bayern basketball team won in the BBL at Braunschweig 74-63 just 39 hours after the EuroLeague matchup in Milan. Thanks to the fourth win in a row, Andrea Trinchieri's team has consolidated third place (18-6) thanks also to the fact that Oldenburg (16-8) lost at last-place Bayreuth.

STANDINGS

Weiler-Babb and Obst are top scorers

In front of the Lions' record crowd of 4,368 fans, the Cup winners, weakened by injuries, started this game with focus (19-8/8th). But the hosts, without Hobbs, were able to grab a total of 18 offensive rebounds and took the second quarter 23-13. The guest around Weiler-Babb (19 points) and Obst (15) defended much better in the second half and brought home the V.

Friday versus Monaco

Bayern will not remain in Munich for more than 24 hours as on Monday afternoon they travel to Athens for their clash with Panathinaikos (Tues., 19:30); on Friday at 19:00, they host top team AS Monaco in their penultimate EuroLeague home game at the Audi Dome.

Tickets vs Monaco

Score per quarter Bayern - Braunschweig 21-13, 13-23, 21-15, 19-12

Stats: Two-pointers: 60 % (FCBB) // 42 % (Braunschweig); Three-pointers: 43 % // 24 %; Free-throws: 80 % // 74 %; Rebounds: 30 // 37; Assists: 12 // 10; Turnovers:  13 // 12

Quotes: 

Andrea Trinchieri: "It was the tough game we expected. Because Braunschweig plays hard and is well coached and has a plan. We had a game only 40 hours ago and yesterday we couldn't do anything because our flight here had a long delay. In the second quarter they showed us the responsibility we have to take on defense. But I think in the first, third and fourth quarters we did what was required to control the game. But Braunschweig is far better than their standings indicate."  

Nick Weiler-Babb: "The coach used the word 'rebound' too much in the speech during halftime. Braunschweig played very hard in the first half and grabbed way too many offensive rebounds. We tried to make up for that in the second half. We got here to Braunschweig very late yesterday, but the key to our game was that we fought to the end and luckily ultimately found a way to win. We decided the game by playing more of our game, we passed the ball quickly and more often and also played the extra pass instead of looking for the one-on-one. In the right moments we also took some speed out and looked for the low post, that's our game."

Game recap:

Nick Weiler-Babb, Andreas Obst, Isaac Bonga, Niklas Wimberg and Freddie Gillespie were the starting five and got off to a great start, 8-0 within two minutes. The Munich side defended tightly and finished well on offense as well. Niels Giffey fit in seamlessly off the bench and sank his first shot, a three-pointer to make it 15-6 (7th minute). FCBB coach Andrea Trinchieri used all players already in the first quarter and Munich had everything under control, leading 21-13 at the first quarter break.

Carelessness on the defensive boards

Spurred on by the crowd, the Lions started the second quarter more energetically and forced Trinchieri to call a timeout with five quick points (21-18/11th). Many seconds ticked off before Bayern scored again when Weiler-Babb put it home to make it 23-18 (13th). Munich had considerable problems with their defensive rebounding, allowing Braunschweig too many second chances. A change of the lead was in the air but Obst prevented that with a three-pointer to make it 26-21 (15th). Kramer sank his first three-pointer and brought the Lions to within two at 28-26 but Zylan Cheatham countered with a basket to make it 30-26 (17th). Braunschweig managed to tie the game just 29 seconds before halftime after several mistakes from Bayern, FCBB timeout (34-34). The talk didn't seem to help and Bayern headed to the locker room without the lead, 36-34.

Bayern regains the lead but Braunschweig stays in it

A three-pointer from Obst retook the lead as Bayern came out a tad more in control after the break. Weiler-Babb took over for Munich and sank two threes in a row to make it 45-41 (24th). The FCBB looked again like the stronger team but they were not able to pull away because the defensive boards were still a major problem (49-45/26th). After a strong defensive rebound by captain Lucic, the ball was passed quickly and cleverly leading to Bonga sinking the three-pointer cleanly from the corner, time-out Braunschweig (52-45/28th). The home team did not let itself be out down so easily and came back, but now the FCBB was more determined and created second chances. 55-51 after the third quarter.

Weiler-Babb with the right decisions

The Lions had their claws out and it was noticeable that they were not going to roll over and quit in this game. Driven by the sold-out crowd, they got as close as one point to Munich, even after Giffey sank a three-pointer to make it 58-54. Myles hit a shot from very deep to pull to within one at 58-57 with seven minutes to play (33rd). However, the guests were helped by their strong defense and by Weiler-Babb who hit a three and then two free throws to extend the lead to 63-57. Weiler-Babb added a dunk on top after a steal (65-57/35th). A 9-0 run by Munich gave them their first double-digit lead of the game but the Lions kept their chances of winning alive with two quick baskets (67-61/37th). Weiler-Babb drilled another three-pointer, and after an offensive rebound by Lucic, Gillespie added two more points  (72-61/38th). The will of the Lions was remarkable, but the FCBB did not let them take the victory away from them and prevented any issues at the decisive part of the game.