TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
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Dragons Breathe Fire in Win!
Artland Dragons stayed true to their name and came out on fire on both ends of the floor playing intense team defense and sinking 14 of 26 threes for a sizzling 56% in their convincing 86-63 home win over ratiopharm Ulm Sunday evening at Artland Arena in Quakenbruck Germany. A competitive game throughout the first half, Artland opened a double digit lead in the third and broke the 11 point game open with a string of unanswered threes with just over 6 minutes remaining in the fourth. The Dragons hot team performance reminded fans of their fantastic post season run last spring which saw them advance to the Bundesglia Finals as an 8th seed. Despite the loss, ratiopharm Ulm took positives from the weekend and the road trip.
Ulm big men Konrad Wysocki and Sean Finn battle for a rebound against Artland forward Dirk Madrich in Sundays game at Artland Arena.
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Riding the momentum of Fridays fantastic home win over rival EnBW Ludwigsburg, ratiopharm Ulm prepared for the second half of their challenging weekend schedule. After a day of preparation featuring Saturday's scouting report meeting, film study and walkthrough, the double-decker Ulm team bus headed north to Bremen Saturday night. Only no players from the Ulm team were aboard it. Aiming to maximize rest and preparation, Ulm management provided a new approach which sent the bus loaded with equipment and gear north Saturday night while the team flew from Munich to Bremen Germany Sunday morning the daz of the game. Meeting the team at the Bremen airport --- where Ulm enjoyed a quality pre-game meal--- the bus then transported the squad through the nice northwestern German countryside to the small town of Quakenbruck and into Artland Arena. Certainly, the Ulm management is giving everything possible to maximize the performance of the team.
On this day, the action started with intensity. One of the most difficult places to play in the Bundesliga, Artland Arena is a Dragons Lair for opponents. But Ulm stared down the powerful Artland team in the early play. Both teams exchanged baskets and provided problems for their opponent. After one quarter, Artland held a tight 18-17 lead. Ulm's Bryan Lucas started strong finishing post moves inside while sinking three point looks from beyond the arc. The intense and physical Dragon defense pressured and bumped Ulm all over the floor and challenged the Ulm execution. Quarter two saw Artland open a slim lead with accurate perimeter shooting. Defensive mixups allowed wide open looks for backup big man Dirk Madrich and athletic wing Lamont McIntosh sparked his team with skillful pullups and threes. Terrance Thomas and guard John Goldsberry also impacted the first half action extremely well. Overall, Artland controlled the play but the feisty Ulm team fought back. As Artland opened a 5 point lead, Ulm's Sebastian Betz buried a corner three and Ulm immediately forced a turnover which EJ Gallup passed to Jeff Gibbs for an easy two to tie the game. As the first half came to a close, Artland extended their lead with several big baskets and took a 41-35 advantage into the halftime lockerroom.
At the half, Ulm discussed several adjustments to handle the Dragons defensive pressure and reviewed their defensive game plan to prepare for consistent defensive stops. Unfortunately, it would be all Artland in the second half. With the right intentions in mind, ratiopharm Ulm could not generate momentum to turn the game. Artland buried several big baskets including a terrific circus finish of a baseline drive by Lamont McIntosh through a Sebastian Betz foul. Ulm struggled to contain the Dragon perimeter players who promptly penetrated to the rim to finish or pitch out to spotted up teammates ready to shoot the three. While Ulm faced extreme defensive pressure, Artland created relatively easy looks. Before long, the lead began to build. Up 10, Ulm tried to regroup with a timeout. But each opportunity seemed to result in a big basket for Artland to maintain their lead. Changing defenses, Ulm's zone earned several stops and kept the deficit manageable for most of the third. Heading into the fourth, Ulm trailed 64-49. A slight Ulm run capped by an EJ Gallup driving layup cut the deficit to 11 with 6:55 to play forcing an Artland timeout. Out of the timeout, the Dragons put the game away with back to back three pointers from Jan Rohdewald on the right wing and Terrance Thomas on the left wing followed by an EJ Rowland breakaway layin. The burst forced an Ulm timeout and sealed the Dragons second win of the season. Down the stretch Ulm tried to shoot their way back into the game but drew blanks from three allowing the margin to stay wide eventually settling at 86-63.
For the game, Artland shot 51% from the floor and 82% from the line (14-17). The Dragons outrebounded Ulm 31-27 and dished out 18 assists. Ulm shot 41% from the field, 30% from three and 57% from the foul line in the loss. The biggest difference in the result was beyond the arc where Artlands 14-26 three point accuracy double Ulm's 7 for 23. Bryan Lucas led the Ulm offensive attack with 22 points and 6 rebounds on 9 of 14 shooting and 3 of 6 behind the three point line. Lucas enjoyed a fantastic weekend with his heroics in Fridays win over Ludwigsburg and his excellent production Sunday in Artland. Konrad Wysocki added 9 points and 11 rebounds and Jeff Gibbs chipped in 9 points with 4 boards as Artlands Darius Hall gave his team a tremendous defensive effort against the Ulm all star. Kyle Bailey also contributed 9 points and 4 assists to Ulm's effort. The balanced production from Artland led to five double digit scorers paced by Lamont McIntosh with 18 points and 5 rebounds with 3 of 6 threes, Terrance Thomas 15 points on 3 of 4 three point shooting, Jan Rohdewald with 11 points on 3 of 4 three point shooting and 10 points apiece from point guard John Goldsberry and big man Dirk Madrich.
Bryan Lucas enjoyed an outstanding weekend in Ulm's home win over Ludwigsburg and road loss in Artland.
Now 1-2 on the young season, ratiopharm Ulm returns to the practice floor this week in preparation for Fridays home contest with the Giessen 46ers. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
