In the last round of 16 game of the BBL Cup, FC Bayern Munich beat Telekom Baskets Bonn 91:85. The Munich team needed a strong second half, in particular from Carsen Edwards, to turn the game around and secure the last quarter-final ticket.
The home side got off to a promising start: They made their mark early on with an impressive 15:2 run, including five three-pointers. In particular, Darius McGhee (24 points, 6 assists) played a key role in the early success with four successive buckets from outside, including three in the space of a minute.
15:3 run to give Munich its first lead
Despite Bonn’s strong start, Munich got into its stride better in the second half: Whereas the Baskets defended their lead to go in at half-time, the favorites displayed their greater class in the third period. A 15:3 run by Munich enabled them to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter and quickly extend it to ten points. Bonn also had to contend with foul problems, which particularly restricted McGhee.
Edwards makes the decision
Cheered on by the home crowd, the Baskets continued to fight to catch up. Despite the foul trouble, they closed the deficit to 71:77 and, in a wild final spell, even went 82:84 in front when McGhee drained an important three. Edwards struck back immediately with a bucket from beyond the arc and McGhee added another. With 37 seconds left on the clock, the game remained close (85:87).
The game remained tight until the final seconds, but Munich held on to its lead and so Bonn were unable to pull off a major coup. In the end, Bayern triumphed, with Carsen Edwards standing out as the top scorer with 23 points (all in the second half) alongside Andi Obst (16, 4 assists), while Darius McGhee was named top scorer of the game.
