With a comfortable start-to-finish victory, the MHP Riesen inflicted the Bamberg Baskets’ ninth defeat of the season – and remain within striking distance of the play-off places. Meanwhile, Alba Berlin are slowly inching their way towards the play-in places after beating second-bottom Frankfurt.
The MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg are back on the road to success in the BBL after a comfortable 92:73 win against Bamberg Baskets. Ezra Manjon was the top scorer for Ludwigsburg, with five players managing double-digit scores, with 17 points. Justin Simon also put in a strong all-round performance with ten points, six rebounds and seven assists. Filip Stanic was Bamberg’s top scorer with twelve points.
Both teams had lost their two previous league games, and the home side got off to the better start – Gießen led by 11:2. Bamberg closed the gap to 23:19 by the end of the period, but was still trailing at half-time. Although Bamberg moved the ball well in offense, it allowed Ludwigsburg to snap up 13 offensive rebounds at its own backboard in the period alone. As a result, the giants scored almost 50 points in the first two quarters – and led by 10 points at half-time (49:39). Yorman Polas Bartolo alone scored 11 points and snapped up four rebounds in the first half.
Ludwigsburg also came out better after the break. The giants repeatedly scored easy points. Although Bamberg kept on scoring despite a slight dip in its shooting percentage, it was unable to get back into the game – and did not even manage to take the lead at any point. The third period ended with the score at 73:56. The game seemed to be decided, but Ludwigsburg again hurt the visitors with offensive rebounds in the final quarter – and at times stretched their lead to more than 20 points. In the end, the giants celebrated a deserved 92:73 win.
Having defeated Bayern in the league, Berlin, who have so far performed weakly in the BBL, also wanted to win again in Frankfurt – although Alba lost in the EuroLeague against Fenerbahce during the week. The 75:61 victory sees Berlin continue to fight their way out of the bottom of the table and within one win of the play-in places, while Frankfurt remain second-to-last. Alba’s Matt Thomas was the top scorer in the game with 25 points, while Einaras Tubutis scored the most points for the Skyliners with 14.
The Albatrosses started off strongly, scoring their first six shots and taking an early 15:2 lead. Berlin made 71 percent of their shots from inside – and did not take a single three in the first quarter. Instead, they snapped up seven offensive rebounds, and Frankfurt trailed by the logical margin of 14:26 after ten minutes. Frankfurt, with the returning Jordan Theodore (11 points and six assists by half-time), got into the game better in the second quarter and was able to decide the quarter in its favor by 22:15. Nevertheless, the visitors still led at half-time: The score was 36:41 after two quarters.
The Skyliners repeatedly managed to stay in striking distance after the break, but Alba was able to maintain its lead, with the result that the scoreboard showed 48:57 after three times ten minutes. The game remained competitive in the final quarter – with a modest level of offense. Alba’s shooting percentage, especially from outside, also plummeted after the strong first quarter (39% field goals). Frankfurt’s top scorer Malik Parsons, who had previously remained completely anonymous, did not score his first points until the final period. His teammates were also unable to reduce the deficit: The game ended 61:75 from the Skyliners’ perspective. Frankfurt is in action again on the road in Bonn on Sunday, while Alba has to play in the EuroLeague in Milan on Tuesday – before traveling to Lyon on Thursday.
