BMA365 Bamberg Baskets won their dress rehearsal for the German Cup by rallying from 12 points down to beat ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES 88-86 in overtime on the road. Bamberg executed better down the stretch and in the extra session to improve to 12-9 with four wins in the last five games. Bamberg also moved their road record to 7-4 thanks to all five starters scoring in double figures, topped by Ibi Watson’s 19 points while Cobe Williams had 15 points and 8 assists. Rostock had won six of their last seven games but fell to 11-9 though they do hold the tiebreaker after a 13-point win in Bamberg. TJ Crockett led all scorers with 25 points.
Game Summary: Neither team could take any control in the opening frame with three points be the biggest lead as TJ Crockett had Rostock’s first seven points and Ibi Watson also had seven as the score was 9-9. There were five lead changes in the first quarter and Rostock led 24-23. Crockett’s third and fourth triples of the game had Rostock up 36-27 after 4 minutes of the second quarter. The cushion increased to double figures at 41-29. Cobe Williams sparked a 12-2 run for Bamberg and the visitors were only down 43-41 at halftime.
Bamberg knotted the game 45-45 but Rostock held the guests scoreless for 5 minutes and went up 52-45. Bamberg temporarily got within two points and trailed 56-53 after 30 minutes. The Bamberg comeback was complete by taking the lead 59-58 with under 8 minutes to go. Rostock responded with a 9-2 spur to go up 67-61 only to see Bamberg answer with nine straight points to go back ahead 70-67. Kassim Nicholson knotted it with a three-pointer and Owen Klassen’s two free throws were matched by EJ Onu’s basket to make it 72-72 with 7 seconds left and send the game to overtime. Bamberg allowed only one basket in the extra session and triples from Watson and Richard Balint had them ahead 85-81 with 87 seconds left. Crockett turned the ball over with 13 seconds to play and Watson converted two free throws with 5.9 seconds left for the win.
Numbers Please: Bamberg managed to win the battle off the glass against the best rebounding team in the league 42-39 including a 12-7 advantage in offensive rebounds, which the visitors turned into an 11-6 plus in second chance points.
Player of the Game: Ibi Watson led Bamberg in scoring but Cobe Williams did a great job running the show with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals while commmiting only 1 turnover in 35 minutes of action.
The Germans: Moritz Krimmer tallied 9 points and 4 rebounds and Zach Ensminger chipped in 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the win. At the other end, Elias Baggette collected 10 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal for Rostock and Bent Leuchten had 4 points and 1 rebound.
Tried and true for Anton Gavel: BMA365 Bamberg Baskets head coach Anton Gavel stayed with the same starting five as in every game this season: Cobe Williams, Richard Balint, Demarcus Demonia, Isi Watson and Ejiofor Onu. It was the 21st consecutive game with that lineup and all five starters scored at least 10 points.
Double-double No. 23 for Klassen: Owen Klassen collected 10 points and 10 rebounds for his 23rd double-double of his career. The Rostock big man, who added 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, took sole possession of 11th place on the all-time rankings since the start of data collection in 1998.
What's Up Next: Rostock head into the German Cup and FIBA break and do not take the court again until Friday March 6 when they host VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier. Bamberg for their part have the German Cup this weekend in Munich as they face off against hosts FC Bayern Basketball on Saturday February 21.
Video: Highlights of this game will be available soon on Dyn's website or here on Dyn's YouTube channel.
Anmerkung: In der Saison 2025/26 werden wie hier auch gelegentlich Nachberichte in englischer Sprache verfasst.
Note: During the 2025-26 season, there will occasionally be game reports published in English.
