NINERS Chemnitz just cannot be stopped as Rodrigo Pastore’s team won their ninth straight game in the league and 16th overall and took over first place of the easyCredit BBL by themselves following ratiopharm ulm’s surprise home loss to ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES. The week also saw BG Göttingen and HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim both snap long losing streaks while the big showdown between ALBA BERLIN and FC Bayern Munich was postponed due to heavy snowfall in southern Germany.
In this section, we break out our English language skills and inform you about the latest news from the German easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga. If you’re short on time but still want your fill of Germany’s top basketball league then you are in the right place. Every week David Hein (www.heinnews.com) brings you up-to-date in German basketball – the easyCredit BBL short and sweet:
Chemnitz roll on: 16th straight win, take first place in league
NINERS Chemnitz just refuse to lose as they rolled past EWE Baskets Oldenburg 79-58 on the road for their 16th straight win in all competitions including ninth in a row in the easyCredit BBL, which they now lead by themselves. Chemnitz surged ahead at the end of the first half and led by 12 at the break. Oldenburg could not get close the rest of the way and Chemnitz moved to 9-1 and Oldenburg have now lost four straight for 10th place at 5-5. Chemnitz held Oldenburg to just 13.8 percent on three-pointers and did not allow a single Oldenburg fast break point. Wes van Beck did a bit of everything with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals while Jeff Garrett registered a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. DeWayne Russell scored 20 points to lead Oldenburg and Ebuka Izundu picked up 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Rostock surprise Ulm for first road victory, Ulm give up first place
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES surprised ratiopharm ulm with a 107-87 victory for their first road win of the season - a result which saw the reigning champions hand over first place to NINERS Chemnitz. Rostock jumped on Ulm in the first quarter and led by 12 points only to have Ulm come back and lead at the end of the second period. The guests started the second half with an 18-2 run and never were challenged the rest of the game. Rostock improved to 4-6 while Ulm dropped to 8-2 in second place, snapping a four-game winning streak. Rostock were unstoppable with 62.9 percent shooting form the field, 68.1 percent on two-pointers and 52.2 percent from long range. Derrick Alston was Rostock’s biggest weapon with 24 points with Tyler Nelson scoring 21 points and Eric Lockett collecting 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Karim Jallow poured in 20 points and Dakota Mathias chipped in 17 points in the defeat.
Göttingen snap 7-game losing streak with strong Silins
BG Göttingen finally won again in the easyCredit BBL as they beat Bamberg Baskets 92-85 at home to snap a seven-game losing skid. Despite breezing into the Second Round of the FIBA Europe Cup with just one loss in six games, Göttingen could not finish games domestically. The game against Bamberg was back and forth throughout with 7 points being the biggest lead for either team. There were 13 lead changes and 6 ties until Göttingen finished the game on an 11-2 run to finally won again to move to 2-7 and Bamberg fell to 4-6. Bamberg made just 23.8 percent from long range and could not use a 39-29 rebounding advantage as Göttingen committed only 10 turnovers. Karlis Silins was a force for Göttingen with 25 points and 10 rebounds while Deondre Burns picked up 23 points and 7 assists. Trey Woodbury was Bamberg’s top scorer with 16 points.
Ludwigsburg drop 37 in 2nd quarter, send Göttingen to 7th straight loss
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg used a big 37-18 second quarter to grab a 104-76 road victory over BG Göttingen in a Round 2 makeup game, which saw the hosts lose for the seventh straight time. Göttingen went ahead by 15 points in the first quarter but then fell apart, losing the second and third quarters 60-32 as Ludwigsburg moved to 6-3 with their fifth win the last six games and Göttingen dropped to 1-7. Ludwigsburg shot 56.9 percent for the game including 66.7 percent on two-pointers while winning the rebound battle 39-26. Elijah Childs came off the Ludwigsburg bench and was leading scorer with 23 points and 8 rebounds with Silas Melson scoring 20 points, Jayvon Graves adding 16 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and Desure Buie chipping in 4 points and 10 assists. Umoja Gibson paced Göttingen with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 1 block while Karlis Silins added 15 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.
Magic comeback: Crailsheim rally from 26 points down, end losing streak
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim pulled off a magical comeback from 26 points down to beat Tigers Tübingen 87-84 at home to snap an 8-game losing streak and beat the guests for the first time in club history. Tübingen, who had won the previous four matchups, led 26-16 after 10 minutes and extended the cushion to 26 points in the third quarter. The lead was 13 points with 5 minutes to play when Maurice Stuckey hit 2 three-pointers in a 14-2 run to make it a one-point game. Crailsheim then held the guests scoreless in the final 1:58 minutes and scored the final 7 points to improve to 2-8 and Tübingen are left at 3-7 and wondering what could have been. Tübingen committed 27 turnovers which were too much to overcome despite holding Crailsheim to 22.6 percent on three-pointers and taking the rebound battle 50-29. Brandon Childress and James Murray-Boyles both scored 18 points to pace Crailsheim and Stuckey finished with 4 three-pointers and 14 points. Jimmy Boeheim collected 26 points and 9 rebounds and Mateo Seric picked up a career-high 24 points in a losing effort.
Four straight: Bonn extend win streak to four, Braunschweig drop 4th straight
Two streaks reached four games as Telekom Baskets Bonn defeated Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 102-94 on the road for their four straight win while the hosts lost their fourth in a row. Bonn had an 11-2 run early in the second half for a 14-point lead and held on the rest of the way for a 7-3 record and Braunschweig are now 3-7. Bonn committed only 9 turnovers and shot 55.9 percent for the game. Harald Frey hit 4 three-pointers for 26 points and chipped in 6 assists while Christian Sengfelder tallied 14 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. TJ Crockett topped Braunschweig with 24 points.
Ludwigsburg win tight battle at Heidelberg, keep hosts winless at home
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg remained on the heels of the leading teams in the league as they won a back-and-forth battle at MLP Academics Heidelberg 75-72 with Heidelberg the only winless team at home. Neither team could take control of the game with 14 lead changes and 10 ties and 7 points being the biggest advantage on either side. Jaren Lewis made 3 free throws with 47 seconds left and Elijah Childs split two foul shots with 9 seconds to go to secure the win. Ludwigsburg have won three straight for a 7-3 record and Heidelberg are 2-8 - including 0-6 at home. Heidelberg shot just 13.8 percent on three-pointers and forced just 8 Ludwigsburg turnovers. Lewis’ 15 points paced five players in double figures with Desure Buie and Yorman Polas Bartolo both scoring 13 points. Isaiah Whaley had a big double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds, Tim Coleman scored 18 points and Jeffrey Carroll contributed 7 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
Würzburg slow down Kuhse, beat Vechta at home
Würzburg Baskets managed to slow down Tommy Kuhse just enough to knock off RASTA Vechta 87-75 at home as the promoted side lost two games in a row for the first time this season. Würzburg hit 4 three-pointers in a 16-0 run late in the first half to build a 16-point lead and were never challenged again. The hosts moved to 5-4 and Vechta fell to 6-4 including a 1-3 mark on the road. Würzburg grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and committed only 10 turnovers. Max Ugrai scored a season-high 18 points to lead Würzburg with Zac Seljaas picking up a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds and Otis Livingston also hitting for 17 points. Spencer Reaves was Vechta’s top scorer with 14 points while Würzburg kept Kuhse to just 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting. It was just the second time this season that Vechta’s star guard scored fewer than 17 points.
Hamburg grab another road victory, knocking off Wolves
Veolia Towers Hamburg continued their strong season on the road as they knocked off SYNTAINICS MBC 86-81 away from home. The hosts built a 10 point first quarter lead but were down by 13 points at the half thanks to Hamburg’s 30-15 second quarter. The guests carried that to the win and a 6-4 record - 4-2 on the road - and SYNTAINICS MBC dropped to 3-7. Hamburg shot 54.6 percent for the game including 62.9 percent on two-pointers while holding the hosts to just 27.6 percent on three-pointers. SYNTAINICS MBC could not take advantage of a 19-7 margin in offensive rebounds despite a 25-9 cushion in second chance points. Aleksander Dziewa paced five Hamburg players in double figures with 17 points to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Mark Hughes and Almaji Durham both added 13 points and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann tallied 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Hamburg’s Diante Baldwin led all scorers with 25 points.
Bamberg allow just 6 points in 2nd quarter, beat Rostock in Round 3 makeup
Bamberg Baskets continued their up and down early season as they downed ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES 93-83 at home in a Round 3 makeup game - thanks to a big second quarter. Bamberg saw a 10-point first quarter melt away before the end of the period but regained control with a 25-6 second quarter to move to 4-5 and Rostock remained winless on the road in dropping to 3-6. Bamberg took the rebounding battle 45-30 including an 18-5 advantage on offensive rebounds which they turned into a 20-0 margin on second chance points. Zach Copeland and Adrian Nelson led six Bamberg scorers in double figures with 15 points each and Justin Gray and EJ Onu both tallied 12 points. Tyler Nelson picked up 15 points to lead Rostock in scoring but the rest of the starters combined for only 27 points.
Snow postpones ALBA home game with Bayern
Major snowfall in southern Germany caused the postponement of the big showdown this weekend in the German capital as the league announced the ALBA BERLIN vs FC Bayern Munich game would be played at a later date. Bayern were unable to travel to Berlin on Saturday for the Sunday game because massive snow in and around Munich. Heavy snow cancelled all flights to and from Munich Airport on Saturday and no trains were arriving or departing Munich main station Saturday and most of Sunday.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week honor for Round 10 goes to Karlis Silins of BG Göttingen for his outstanding performance in a win over Bamberg Baskets. The Latvian big man poured in 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting - including 4-of-6 three-pointers - and 5-of-6 free throws to go with 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 0 turnovers for an efficiency of 33.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Maurice Stuckey, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Stuckey played a big role in Crailsheim ending their losing skid with 4 three-pointers and 14 points to go with 2 assists and 2 steals against Tigers Tübingen.
F: Karim Jallow, ratiopharm ulm
Jallow did all he could for Ulm but his 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals were not enough in a loss to ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES.
G: Max Ugrai, Würzburg Baskets
Ugrai was outstanding for Würzburg in the win over RASTA Vechta with a season-high 18 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks .
F: Mateo Seric, Tigers Tübingen
Seric scored a career-high 24 points and added 7 rebounds and 1 assist in a loss to HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
C: Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann, Veolia Towers Hamburg
Wobo grabs a spot in the Top Five as he collected 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in just 15 minutes against SYNTAINICS MBC.
Young Guns
Sananda Fru, 20, PF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Fru started against Telekom Baskets Bonn and collected 6 points on 3-of-3 shots, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 19:24 minutes.
Johann Grühloh, 18, C, RASTA Vechta
Grünloh returns to the Young Guns after collecting 8 points on 2-of-4 shots and 4-of-6 free throws, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in 24:33 minutes off the bench against Würzburg Baskets.
Timo Lanmüller, 22, PG, Tigers Tübingen
Lanmüller contributed 3 points on 1-of-2 three-pointers, 2 rebounds and 4 assists in 11:33 minutes against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Germans Abroad
Oscar da Silva is becoming a bigger and bigger piece of the puzzle for FC Barcelona as the 25-year-old is averaging 5.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in the EuroLeague and 4.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in the Spanish league. Da Silva just picked up 10 points in the EuroLeague against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.
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