That was fun: The Bayern basketball team won its 24th BBL game of the seeason against MBC 87-66 fuelling the party of the 6,500 fans. In the sold-out Music meets Basketball for Kids event, Andrea Trinchieri's team played better on offense after the break and remain in third place with their 17th win of the season.
Obst and Winston make it happen
Bayern will have to play three road games this coming week: Friday in the EuroLeague at Olimpia Milan, Sunday in Braunschweig and Tuesday in Athens at Panathinaikos.
As on Friday in the EuroLeague, Bayern failed to start well in the opening quarter (20-12/10th), and Seeley had to sit at short notice after the warm-up due to a back issue. Only top scorer Obst (27) found his offensive rhythm before halftime - after which Winston (13) also turned up the heat and made the game a bit easier. With an 18-2 run to make it 73-53 the matter was decided.
FC Bayern Basketball - SYNTAINICS MBC 87-66
FCBB top scorer
Andreas Obst (27), Cassius Winston (13), Corey Walden (10), Vladimir Lucic (8), Nick Weiler-Babb (8/5 Rebounds/5 Assists), Paul Zipser (8), Freddie Gillespie (6/9 Rebounds), Zylan Cheatham (5/7 Rebounds), Isaac Bonga (2), Niels Giffey, Niklas Wimberg.
MBC top scorer
Martin Breunig (12 Points)
Referee
Clemens Fritz, Nesa Kovacevic, Alexander Moskovic
Attendance
6,500 (sold out)
Score per quarter Bayern - MBC: 14-22, 23-15, 24-14, 26-15.
Stats: Two-point shooting: 53% (FCBB) // 58% (Weissenfels); Three-point shooting: 50% // 21%; Free-throw shooting: 76% // 63%; Rebounds: 40 // 25; Assists: 17 // 14; Turnovers: 13 // 11
Quotes:
Andrea Trinchieri: "It's always hard to have to come back 40 hours after a tough game, and then against a team that has a very good offense and one of the best at spacing in the whole BBL. It took 20 minutes to figure out how we needed to play offense and defense against them. In the end, we had a deep rotation and tried to use everyone with fresh legs and a clear head. So we had a very good second half, which we won clearly. (...) Paul had a good day. I brought him in as a guard, I'm sure he didn't expect that. But I didn't want him to think too much. He was very focused and relaxed at the same time, he had some good plays and then I should have taken him out because he was tired. We'll try to have him help us in the rotation in the next games as well."
Andreas Obst: "The clear victory is good. It makes this evening a little more relaxed. We reacted as a team and realized at halftime that we weren't playing with as much energy as we should. We brought that to the floor in the second half and it shows in the result. My weak three-point percentage against Berlin was not a problem for confidence. Games like that exist, and yet I go back to full strength afterwards."
Game recap:
Even before tip-off, the Munich team suffered a setback: Seeley injured his back during warm-up and could not participate. So it was Cassius Winston, Andi Obst, Isaac Bonga, Niklas Wimberg and Freddie Gillespie in the starting five that, as head coach Trinchieri put it, should find a way to Rome. This was countered by a well-rounded MBC with the well-known "Big" John Bryant. The former Munich player scored twice confidently near the basket and thus brought his team well into the game along with Mushidi. Bayern, on the other hand, needed some time to get into the game and fell behind (16-8/6th). A hockey substition (five new players) helped hide the fatigue from the Euroleague fight against Alba Berlin a little bit. However, with a 73 percent two-point shooting percentage, the first quarter went clearly to the guests (22-14).
Obst picked things up in the second quarter with two quick threes from the corner. Zylan Cheatham, in his second BBL game, again brought a lot of energy from the bench and had a tough duel insude with Bryant. The biggest relief, however, remained Obst. His huge make from downtown as well as a powerful drive and score awakened the well-filled Audi Dome - 29-28 (16th). With only two turnovers in the half, Igor Jovovic's team remained focused, but now scored less easily. At the same time, Munich got more regularly to the free-throw line. Heading into halftime the score was tied, 37-37.
Seven 3s for Obst
The opening phase of the third quarter was almost a copy of the second. Once again, Obst rained down two three-pointers and provided the Audi Dome with the long-awaited lead. Winston picked up where his teammate left off and added to the lead for the Cup winners (50-44/24th). The Weissenfels team had problems with the increased tempo. The resulting turnovers were gratefully accepted by the home team who went on an 8-0 run. Mushidi's three-pointer stopped the onslaught for a short time, but was answered posthaste by a monster Cheatham dunk. Zipser increased the lead to ten points at the end of the third quarter - 61-51.
DIKKA performs for the kids
In the final quarter, Trinchieri's team did not want to allow any more hope for the MBC. An attentive defense and a smooth offense pushed Bayern to an 18-2 run - time-out Jovovic (73-53/33rd). Already a bit desperate, the MBC looked for solutions with in iso but they struggled getting open looks against the tight defense. The FCBB played with their foot on the gas until the final buzzer. Zipser, Gillespie and Obst (seven of eleven three-pointers) left no doubt about the home victory - after that DIKKA entered the court and rapped for the hundreds of kids in the arena.