Nine straight: The Bayern Basketball team continues to show no signs of weakness in the Bundesliga. A strong 95-89 win over Frankfurt on Wednesday night in front of 2,500 fans was the ninth success in a row for the streak FCBB squad. The third-place Cup winner (record: 23-6) has thus also clinched home court advantage for the playoff quarterfinals (starting May 16).
The top scorers for Bayern (55% threes) were Cash Winston with 20 points in just under 18 minutes and D.J. Seeley (14). Coach Andrea Trinchieri was able to distribute the playing time among his dozen players.
On Sunday at 15:00 the FCBB hosts Crailsheim and next Wednesday, 19:00 Andrea Trinchieri's team welcomes newcomer Rostock (14:15), who are fighting for the playoffs.
Cash Winston shines
Against the relegation-threatened Frankfurt team, captain Lucic (cold) was missing in addition to the several long-term injured. His team had a few struggles in the first quarter (21-21), but did a good job overall, with all twelve FCBB players scoring.
The guests, clearly inferior in rebounding, also scored very well from the outside and made the game close at 73-65 (32nd). But the victory was never in danger and Trinchieri was able to keep legs fresh.
FC Bayern Basketball - Fraport Skyliners 95:89 (47:35)
FCBB:
Cassius Winston (20 Points), D.J.Seeley (14), Isaac Bonga (9, 6 Rebounds), Ognjen Jaramaz (9), Zylan Cheatham (8, 5 Reb), Niels Giffey (7), Paul Zipser (6, 5 Reb), Freddie Gillespie (6, 6 Reb), Nick Weiler-Babb (5), Niklas Wimberg (5), Corey Walden (3), Andreas Obst (3).
Frankfurt's top scorer
Joshua Obiesie (20 Points)
Referee
Christof Madinger, Armin Mutapcic, Stefan Fingerling
Attendance
2,500
Score per quarter Bayern - Frankfurt: 21-21, 26-14, 26-24, 22-30.
Stats: Two-point shooting: 60% (FCBB) // 45% (Frankfurt); Three-point shooting: 55% // 59%; Free-throw shooting: 74% // 65%; Rebounds: 35 // 21; Assists: 18 // 19; Turnovers: 16 // 12.
Quotes:
Andrea Trinchieri: "We tried to find solutions and tried different styles of play, especially on defense. In the first half we were good, in the last quarter we played terribly. But in the end we did our job and won the game."
D.J. Seeley: "We lost focus at the end. But in the end, we won reasonably confidently - a win is a win. We are well on our way to a rhythm that has changed without EuroLeague games. We're struggling with some injuries, but if they heal as well as possible, we'll be back on track. On Sunday in Crailsheim, I hope we play better, and that's what we're working towards. But again, at the end of the day, a win is a win."
Frankfurt head coach, Klaus Perwas: "We unfortunately didn't make the game our game in the end. That's where I'm mainly concerned with the tempo. If you concede 95 points here in Munich, then that is already a problem because to make 96 yourself is a difficult task, especially away from home. But we're not dissatisfied with the game overall. Our guys really fought. We see that some things in our game are stabilizing, others we can do even better. For Sunday, we'll take the good things from today and continue to work on the not-so-good ones to improve them."
Game recap:
Cassius Winston, Andreas Obst, Isaac Bonga, Paul Zipser and Freddie Gillespie started the 29th gameday of the BBL against the second to last team in the standings. Winston immediately steered home the first three pointer but Frankfurt also initially shone with three baskets in a row (9-5/4th minute of play). The FCBB compensated for sloppy ball handling with a committed defensive performance. Zipser managed to equalize at 13-13 from beyond the arc. The Munich offense looked erratic, and so the even score after the first quarter was not what they had hoped but could have been worse, 21-21.
Munich pulls away despite too many turnovers
The quality of play for both teams was still relatively poor but at least Jaramaz delivered points coming off the bench to take the lead (28-25/13th). With dynamic drives to the basket, Munich caused difficulties for Frankfurt's defense and increased the lead to 31-25 (14th). Frankfurt was completely without rhythm offensively while a bright spot was former FCBBer, Joshua Obiesie hitting a three-pointer to make it 34-28 (16th). Giffey's wonderfully played three-pointer brought the lead into double digits for the first time (39-28/17th). Jaramaz scored eight points in this quarter alone which Munich used to pull away a bit from Frankfurt. A nice touch just before halftime was the Obst three-pointer from a good very deep to make it 47-35 after the second quarter.
Weiler-Babb stops a run
The FCBB had the matter under control and Winston attacked the visitors' zone again and again, Bonga scored from far deep and the lead increased. Zipser's three-pointer also slipped through and Bayern was nearly up by 20 (58-40/23th). The number of turnovers jumped to ten, but Bayern dominated on the boards. The guests took advantage of a weak phase from Munich and streaked to an 11-1 run - time-out Trinchieri (59-51/25th). Weiler-Babb stepped in and sank his first shot of the game, and then the second right after it. Seeley completed their own 7-0 run with a basket after a steal to make it 66-51 (27th). Munich struggled to get back on track and led 73-59 after the third quarter.
Frankfurt's Obiesie knocked down two threes in a row, but again Bayern responded adequately with goals from Cheatham and Wimberg (77-65/32nd). Seeley confidently took the game in his hands and scored five points in a row. Three minutes before the end of the game the Skyliners had come within single digits. The Munich team was guilty of some terrible turnovers but Bonga scored at the rim to make it 92-81 (38th). It wasn't always easy but it was a win.