TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
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BAMBERG OUTRUNS ULM!
ratiopharm Ulm tried to outrun German Champion brose Baskets Bamberg Wednesday night at JAKO Arena in Bamberg. The uptempo Ulm attack produced the most points against the tough Bamberg defense at home and entertained the JAKO Arena crowd, but Bamberg demonstrated their basketball class in a 110-89 victory. Konrad Wysocki led Ulm's charge with 19 points 5 rebounds while Dru Joyce added 16 points 4 assists for Ulm. Jared Reiner led six Bamberg players in double digits with a fantastic 29 point 11 rebound performance while Ademola Okulaja added 17 points 9 rebounds in the win. Ulm got Bamberg to play their game --- but battle-tested Bamberg beat them at it.
ratiopharm Ulm's EJ Gallup finishes a tough midlane shot Wednesday night against brose Baskets Bamberg in JAKO Arena.
With a recently reloaded roster brose Baskets Bamberg entered Wednesday nights game against ratiopharm Ulm ready to fine tune their team for a strong stretch run and defense of their Bundesliga Championship. Head Coach Dirk Bauermann and the team added former NBA post man Jared Reiner along with athletic NBDL All Star Dwayne Mitchell to the team in recent weeks and Bamberg looks to be ready for a run at a repeat. While Bamberg loaded up, ratiopharm Ulm numbers went down. Unfortunately, Ulm point guard Kyle Bailey left the team for personal reasons Tuesday. Without a key component of their team, Ulm aimed to rally together and meet the challenge of the first class opponent in Bamberg.
Ulm's Jeff Gibbs stuffs home two points for his team Wednesday night.
Handling the unusual circumstances surrounding Kyle Bailey's break as best as possible Ulm's team took the floor in JAKO Arena before a sellout of 6,800 Freak City fans. Rookie point guard Dru Joyce once again stepped into the starting lineup and took the reigns of the ratiopharm Ulm offense. Ulm's chances to snap their 8 game slide against Bamberg were slim going in, but the team took the floor with a solid game plan and energy. A defensive-oriented, halfcourt team, Bamberg is battle tested against Europes best basketball in the Euroleague and are proven winners as defending Bundesliga champs. But the teams slow-down style gave Ulm hope in using an uptempo game. Last week, Bamberg beat Telekom Bonn in JAKO Arena 79-50 on March 2nd. The game before, Bamberg beat Deutsche Bank Skyliners 57-54 at Ballsporthalle in Frankfurt Febuary 24th. Boasting one of the best defensive teams in the Bundesliga, Bamberg's offense is also focused on wearing down their opponents forcing them to defend the entire 24 second shot clock. Coming into the game, understanding their clear depth and size advantages from Bamberg, Ulm aimed to change their defenses to keep Bamberg off balance and prevent them from their smashmouth basketball in the halfcourt. Meanwhile, Ulm aimed to run the floor and attack offensively. To put themselves in the best position to win, Ulm aimed to play fast and outscore Bamberg.
Energizer Konrad Wysocki topscored for Ulm with 19 points against Bamberg. Here, Konrad scans the floor for an open teammate as Predrag Suput applies pressure.
At tipoff, Bamberg's size and strength were apparent. The undersized Ulm team fell behind 15-4 quickly as Bamberg's focus and execution were outstanding. Ulm post men found finishing around the Bamberg big bodies a challenge and several good looks early on rimmed out. After the fast Bamberg start, Ulm huddled through a timeout with 6 minutes remaining in the first quarter. Changing their defense to a zone, Ulm answered with a 9-0 run and Bamberg called for time. The fast-paced tempo of the game was exactly what Ulm wanted and after weathering the strong Bamberg start, Ulm gained confidence with a solid first quarter comeback. The talented Bamberg team brought Ademola Okulaja and Dwayne Mitchell from the bench and continued their intelligent deliberate attack. After the first quarter buzzer, the hosts led 23-16 and the JAKO Arena fans were pleasantly surprised by the offensive flow of the game.
Ulm post man Bryan Lucas buries a three as Bamberg's Jared Reiner defends.
Quarter two began with another Bamberg run as Jared Reiner established the post for the hosts. Pushing the lead to double digits, Ulm fought against the current of Bamberg's momentum changing their defenses routinely. Ulm's team attack began to make some plays and after Bamberg built their cushion, Ulm battled back to within 10 as 3 minutes showed on the JAKO arena scoreboard. Unfortunately, Bamberg converted back to back AND1 plays and extended their lead again. Bamberg exploded for a 36-29 second quarter and the offensive game was completely opposite of the style and tempo usually on display at JAKO. The halfs last scene saw Dru Joyce dart to the hoop drawing Bamberg defense into the lane. Joyce slipped a pass to a Konrad Wysocki who leaned in one motion to finish at the rim. Bamberg's Dwayne Mitchell rotated over attempting to draw a charge. The buzzer sounded before the ball was released but a collision occurred under the rim with several players tumbling over each other to the ground. Unfortunately for Ulm, as Mitchell fell, he hit Emeka Erege in the knee taking out the Ulm captain. Everyone shook it off and went to the lockerrooms. At the half, the regining German Champs from Bamberg held a 59-45 lead.
Ulm point guard Dru Joyce returned to the starting lineup and played well with a 16 point 3 rebound 4 assist 3 steal night
As Ulm sat in their halftime lockerroom, the team was positive about their offensive performance. After all, Bonn scored 50 points against Bamberg the entire game --- Ulm scored 45 at the half. Ulm had hit 50% of their shots but only converted 2 of 10 from three. Meanwhile, Bamberg sank a sizzling 70% from the floor and 6 of 11 from three. Bamberg also did an outstanding job on the boards outrebounding Ulm 20-11. Focusing on improved defensive work in the second half and continued uptempo attack, Ulm returned to the floor for the second half with nothing to lose.
Ulm's Sean Finn shoots his jumphook against Bamberg's Jared Reiner.
But Ulm did lose something. Captain Emeka Erege was unable to finish the game further shortening the Ulm bench. Stepping up in the absence of their captain, rookie Sebastian Betz and veteran Jan Sprunken would see plenty of action in the second half. Ulm's spirited effort saw their defensive effort and rotations as strong and intense as they have been all season long. Unfortunately, beautiful Bamberg ball movement and clutch late clock shooting deflated the Ulm D. The well-coached Bamberg squad got a big corner three from Okulaja and a tough hand in the face three from Steffen Hamann in a third quarter run that broke the game open. Sean Finn was whistled for an intentional foul as he hustled for a loose ball diving on the floor and tangling up Bamberg PG Steffen Hamann. Ulm's balanced attack saw Dru Joyce led scoring with 13 points, Konrad Wysocki and Jeff Gibbs total 12 and Bruan Lucas 11 points after three. But no one had a better night through three quarters than Bamberg post man Jared Reiner who powered his way to 27 points 9 boards in the first three quarters. Bamberg fans used to the defensive oriented games on which Bamberg has built their success, enjoyed the refreshing uptempo action and offensive fireworks from both teams.
Ulm post man Florian Mobius hits a top of the key three against Bamberg at JAKO Arena. Flo came off the bench to score 9 points with 4 rebounds to help Ulm.
Ulm got plenty of action from their bench in the second half. Sebasitan Betz stepped onto the floor and buried 3 out of 4 threes against his former team. The 22 year old rookie drilled a transition three from the left wing and sank a right corner three and right wing three off screens. Veteran Jan Sprunken also drilled a triple in 8 minutes of action and dependable forward Florian Mobius buried a top of the key three while producing 9 points 4 rebounds against Bamberg. With Bamberg in control, Ulm took the opportunity in the final few minutes to experiment with a few unique lineups. Highlights for Bamberg in the fourth quarter included a thunderous two hand power slam in transition by Dwayne Mitchell and eclipsing the 100 point mark for the first time since beating Nurnberg in 2004.
Ulm wing Sebastian Betz sinks a transition three against his former team from Bamberg. Basti drilled three threes totaling 9 points off the bench for Ulm.
Ulm's 89 points scored were the most against a tough Bamberg defense all season after holding Bundesliga opponents Giessen and Paderborn (both 60 points), Bonn (50), Oldenburg (51) and Ludwigsburg (49) down. Konrad Wysocki, who was named to the German National team roster coached by Bamberg's Dirk Bauermann, topscored for Ulm with 19 points 5 rebounds in the game. Dru Joyce played a strong game at the Ulm point adding 16 points and 4 assists while Jeff Gibbs and Bryan Lucas totaled 12 points apiece. Off the Ulm bench Florian Mobius chipped in a solid 9 points 4 rebounds and Sebastian Betz drilled three threes for 9 points of his own. For the game, ratiopharm Ulm hit 49% from the floor and 11 of 28 from three (39%). Bamberg shot 63% from the floor making 12 of 24 from three while outrebounding Ulm 42-25. Bamberg also enjoyed an advantage from the foul line hitting 24 of 41 (59%) to Ulm's 12 of 20 (60%). Jared Reiner led the terrific Bamberg production with a fantastic 29 point 11 rebound night. Ademola Okulaja went for 17 points 9 boards, Darren Fenn added 15 points 8 rebounds, Dwayne Mitchell and Steffen Hamann finished with 14 points apiece and Robert Garrett hit 3 of 6 threes for 11 points. Despite the 110-89 result, ratiopharm Ulm walked off the JAKO floor with an empty tank. Ulm Players walked to greet fans and Bamberg walked off the court looking poised and ready to defend their Bundesliga championship.
Ulm's Jan Sprunken defends Bamberg's Dwayne Mitchell Wednesday night at JAKO Arena.
As ratiopharm Ulm returns to action, the team will be shorthanded heading into the weekend without Captain Emeka Erege who is due to miss 4 to 6 weeks with a knee injury. Combined with the absence of Kyle Bailey, Ulm is down to 9 active players and will have plenty of minutes available for the bench Saturday night at MaxSchmellinghalle against ALBA Berlin. Tip off is set for 6:30pm Saturday March 8th against the traditional German power ALBA Berlin.
With a challenging situation at hand, ratiopharm Ulm remains focused on playing their best basketball despite the recent adversity. The team will rely on their veteran leadership and character players such as Jeff Gibbs and Bryan Lucas to help them through the tough time. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
