Round 7 of the easyCredit BBL might be remembered for when Andreas Obst broke out of his shooting slump as the world champion drained 5 three-pointers in FC Bayern Munich’s win over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. ALBA BERLIN meanwhile crashed to 16th place after another loss and SYNTAINICS MBC have now won five straight games.
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:
Obst finally finds stroke as Bayern blast Braunschweig
FC Bayern Munich got a boost in confidence as their world champion shooter Andreas Obst finally found his form in a 90-72 blowout road win over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Bayern took over the game with a 29-19 third quarter in finishing a week with three road games - two in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague - with three wins for a 5-2 record and Braunschweig are now 2-3 after a third straight loss. Bayern took the rebound battle 38-26 and shot 45 percent from three-point range. Carsen Edwards continues to play fantastic basketball with 20 points, 4 assists and 3 steals while Devin Booker had 18 points and 7 rebounds and Obst found his three-point stroke with 5 of 6 threes for 17 points. Obst had made just 4 of 29 threes in his last 6 BBL and EuroLeague games and was 7 of 37 in the league and cup before the win. Luka Scuka was Braunschweig’s top scorer with 17 points and TJ Crockett had 16 points in the loss.
Bamberg beat Berlin for first home win, ALBA crash to 16th place
Bamberg Baskets claimed their first home victory in the league as they beat ALBA BERLIN 87-82 at home, a result which sends Berlin to 16th place in the standings. The game was close throughout until Bamberg opened a 10-point lead in the final 5 minutes and held on for the win. The hosts improved to 2-3 after having lost two straight while Berlin crashed to another loss for 2-4 record including 0-3 on the road. Berlin’s last five games have been decided by five points or fewer and the club has alternated between loss and win all season. Bamberg dominated the glass 43-32 and shot 52 percent from the field while holding ALBA to just 27 percent from long range. Ibrahim Watson poured in 23 points with 6 three-pointers, Ronaldo Segu had 17 points and 8 assists and MaCio Teague chipped in 16 points. Martin Hermannsson paced Berlin with 28 points, Louis Olinde scored 14 points and Trevion Williams tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists.
ALBA suspend Koumadje indefinitely after off-court incident
Things just keep getting worse for ALBA BERLIN as the club has suspended center Khalifa Koumadje indefinitely after an off-court incident came to light - just the latest in a long list of problematic behavior by the big man. Koumadje was already suspended three games by the easyCredit BBL and fined 2000 euros after he struck a doping official during a game. But an ex-girlfriend of Koumadje posted photos on social media hinting at domestic abuse and Berlin decided to suspend him until the situation could be clarified.
Wolves extend winning streak to five game, Oldenburg winless on road
Don’t look now but SYNTAINICS MBC have the longest winning streak in Germany as they beat EWE Baskets Oldenburg 92-77 for their fourth straight win - and their fifth in a row including the German BBL Cup. The hosts built a 14-point lead in the second quarter and after Oldenburg pulled within two points early in the second half, the lead was 13 points after 30 minutes and grew to as many as 21 points. SYNTAINICS MBC have gone from 0-3 to 4-3 with their winning streak, while Oldenburg fell to 3-3 and 0-3 on the road. Wolves committed only 11 turnovers and shot 64 percent on two pointers and held the guests to just 41 percent for the game. Michael Devoe came off the bench to lead Wolves with 18 points while Tyren Johnson scored 16 points, Charles Callison had 14 points and 7 assists and Ty Brewer picked up 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. Artur Konontsuk was Oldenburg’s top scorer with 20 points and 7 rebounds while Geno Crandall had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists and Len Schoormann chipped in 13 points with 3 three-pointers.
Ulm still perfect at home after beating Hamburg
ratiopharm ulm remained perfect at home as they beat Hamburg 82-72 after giving up a big lead but remained league leaders. Ulm led by 13 points after 10 minutes but were trailing in the second quarter. The hosts pulled away again with a 12-3 surge to start the fourth quarter to decide the game. Ulm’s home record moved to 4-0 and 5-1 overall and Hamburg have lost three in a row for a 2-4 mark. Ulm forced 18 turnovers and won the fast break points 11-2. Justinian Jessup poured in 22 points, Karim Jallow had 14 points and Ben Saraf added 13 points. Jordan Barnett scored 17 points and Kur Kuath and Kenneth Ogbe both chipped in 16 points in a losing effort.
Vechta down Ludwigsburg to end losing skid
RASTA Vechta finally tasted victory again as they beat MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 79-77 on the road to snap a four-game losing streak in the league. Ludwigsburg led by 11 points after one quarter but were down by the end of the third quarter and never pulled back ahead in the final frame. Vechta prevailed despite making only 3 of 6 free throws in final 29 seconds. Vechta improved to 2-4 and Ludwigsburg after 4-3 after having won their last two games. Vechta shot 57 percent on two-pointers and took the second chance points category 13-4. Brandon Randolph led Vechta with 28 points and Jayden Gardner collected a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Joel Scott scored 23 points and Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson added 21 points in the loss.
Hamilton helps Rostock past Frankfurt
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES continued their solid start to the season with an 83-66 home win over SKYLINERS. Rostock led for the whole game but it was still close until they went on an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter to move to 4-3 and Frankfurt fell to 2-4. Rostock committed only 6 turnovers and held Frankfurt to 42 percent from the field. Bryce Hamilton collected 27 points and 5 rebounds and Godwin Omenaka and Robin Amaize both had 16 points for Rostock. Malik Parsons scored 25 points off the bench as the only Frankfurt player in double figures with the starters combining for only 27 points.
Würzburg show off Heidelberg with final defensive stance
FIT/One Würzburg Baskets showed off one of this season’s biggest surprises with a 72-67 victory over MLP Academics Heidelberg for their second road victory. Würzburg built their 12-point lead with a 14-4 run spanning the final two quarters but watched Heidelberg punch back with a 14-2 surge to tie the game. The hosts did not score for the final 2:50 minutes and Würzburg decided the game with 5 free throws in the final 16 seconds. Würzburg improved to 3-2 and dropped Heidelberg to 4-3. Würzburg managed only 21 percent on three-pointers but Heidelberg made only 16 percent from long range. Mike Davis and Jhivvan Jackson both scored 19 points, Mike Lewis had 15 points and Owen Klassen chipped in 9 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Mateo Seric picked up 14 points and 5 rebounds, Damariae Horne had 13 points and Marcel Keßen added 12 points in the loss.
Chemnitz run winning streak to four games, keep Göttingen winless
NINERS Chemnitz grabbed their fourth straight victory as they used a strong second half to beat BG Göttingen 96-88 at home, keeping the guests as the only winless team in the league. Chemnitz pulled away in the third quarter, building a 19-point lead and never allowing Göttingen to get closer than six points the rest of the way. Chemnitz improved to 4-2 while Göttingen are now 0-5 at the bottom of the standings. Chemnitz shot 37 percent from long range compared to 28 percent by Göttingen and made 20 of 24 free throws while Göttingen hit 12 of 20 from the foul line. Aher Uguak led Chemnitz with 25 points, Victor Bailey scored 20 points and Olivier Nkamhoua added 13 points. Kostja Mushidi was Göttingen’s top scorer with 24 points, Zach Ensminger had 13 points and Demajeo Wiggins put together a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Player of the Week
Bryce Hamilton takes the honors as Player of the Week for Round 7 as he registered an efficiency of 28 in ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES' win over SKYLINERS. The guard scored 27 points on 9 of 15 shooting and 4 of 6 free throws to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and just 1 turnover.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Nelson Weidemann, ratiopharm ulm
Weidemann played a big role in Ulm’s win over Veolia Towers Hamburg with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal
G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich
Obst drained 5 of 6 three-pointers in scoring 17 points against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig to go with 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
F: Kostja Mushidi, BG Göttingen
Mushidi Göttingen poured in 24 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in a loss to NINERS Chemnitz.
F: Robin Amaize, ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES
Amaize was strong against SKYLINERS with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals.
F: Louis Olinde, ALBA BERLIN
Olinde serves as the big man in a small-ball lineup this week as he collected 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks in a loss to Bamberg Baskets.
Young Guns
Ivan Kharchenkov, 18, SG, FC Bayern Munich
Kharchenkov played 17:02 minutes against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and scored 7 points on 3 of 4 shots and 1 of 1 free throw to go with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.
Julis Baumer, 17, PG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Baumer got some good run against RASTA Vechta with 16:16 minutes in which he had 5 points on 2 of 3 shoots (1/2 threes) and 1 rebound. It was the 17-year-old’s second straight game with 5 points.
Elias Rapieque, 20, SF, ALBA BERLIN
Rapieque played 10:00 minutes against Bamberg Baskets and collected 5 points on 2 of 3 shooting (1/1 threes), 1 rebound and 1 block.
Germans Abroad
Mathieu Grujicic has started the Spanish fourth division Tercera FEB in strong fashion including pouring in 19 points to go with 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steals against Manresa. Through four games, the 17-year-old is averaging 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
