TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
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ULM STREAKS PAST BONN!
ratiopharm Ulm won their seventh straight home game by beating Telekom Bonn 80-68 Saturday night at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. After surviving first half foul trouble thanks to solid bench contributions, Ulm's 13-0 third quarter explosion opened a 13 point lead before Bonn battled back. Down the stretch, big baskets from Ulm's Jeff Gibbs, Jonathan Levy and Konrad Wysocki sealed the victory. After making only 10 of 26 from the foul line in Wednesday nights road win at Braunschweig, Ulm players re-focused to sink an impressive 24 of 29 free throws against Bonn. Winning their third straight Bundesliga game and second of the week, Ulm improved their record to 14-13 for the season.
ratiopharm Ulm's Jeff Gibbs produced 19 points with 13 rebounds and scored several big buckets down the stretch!
click here for Box Score from Ulm vs Bonn
click here for Photo Gallery of Ulm v Bonn
Entering Sportszentrum Kuhberg, Telekom Bonn prepared themselves for the challenge. A strong road team this season, rather than their famous "Pink" uniforms, Bonn opted for their "macho" black road uniforms. But after six straight home wins, the sellout crowd at Kuhberg was prepared to push their Ulmer team to victory number seven. Yet before the battle, Ulm fans warmly welcomed the return of former Ulm G Artur Kolodziejski now a key part of Bonn's success. In fact, Kolodziejski's evening would be memorable as he would be penciled into the starting five replacing three point threat Jeff Schiffner who stayed back in Bonn suffering from sickness. Even more interesting, Artur would likely face close friend Jan Sprunken in a meaningful head to head matchup the two would remember for a very long time. With many interesting story lines surrounding the game, Ulm and Bonn tipped off Game Day 27 with excitement and energy.
Ulm's Bryan Lucas works past Bonn's John Bowler for two points in Saturdays win. Lucas played solid through foul trouble for Ulm.
After winning Wednesday's midweek road game at Braunschweig and evening their record at 13-13, ratiopharm Ulm was poised to rise above the .500 level for the first time as a Bundesliga team. Ulm had not been even since 3-3 back in late October after sweeping their Paderborn-Nurnberg double weekend. But beating the 18-9 Telekom Bonn team would take an extraordinary effort from the young Ulm team.
ratiopharm Ulm's Jonathan Levy scores over former Ulm G Artur Kolodziejski in the second half of Ulm's win over Telekom Bonn Saturday night at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. Levy produced 12 points including two important second half three pointers.
ratiopharm Ulm G EJ Gallup eyes a free throw attempt against Telekom Bonn at Sportszentrum Kuhberg Saturday night in Ulm. Gallup continued his solid integration into his new team.
Telekom Bonn's experience clearly showed through in the opening action. The powerful inside presence of Gyasi Cline-Heard and John Bowler strengthened Bonn's start. Ulm had little answer for their guests in the early possessions and Bonn established the inside immediately scoring on post moves, stickbacks or drawing fouls. Artur Kolodziejski rose to the challenge of playing against his former team with a strong first half scoring 8 points on 2 of 3 three point shooting. Up 16-5, Bonn seemed to operate on another level. But turning to the bench to off-set their foul problems, ratiopharm Ulm received a big boost from bench players such as Maksym Shtein, Florian Mobius, Konrad Wysocki and Jan Sprunken. Bonn continued to hold their lead and the teams finished the first quarter 19-14 for Bonn. Working back into the game, Austen Rowland buried a three pointer and Jeff Gibbs powered his way to consecutive baskets in the lane. Ulm took the lead for the first time with 4 minutes remaining in the first half. Unfortunately, Bonn athletic big man Patrick Flomo, a close friend of Ulm star Jeff Gibbs, landed funny after a monster dunk late in the first half. Flomo seemed to injure his knee and was forced to leave the action. While Flomo left the game with a concerning injury, Bonn power forward Tyray Pearson returned to their team adding another big body and low post presence. Despite trailing by double digits, ratiopharm Ulm fought back and trailed Bonn only by two at the half, 37-35. In the lockerroom, Ulm focused on finishing plays in the paint and most importantly, increased energy level. After winning in overtime Wednesday night in Braunschweig, Ulm opened Saturdays action a bit sluggish. With awareness and extra emphasis expressed on the teams tempo, Ulm returned to the floor for the second half with a clear picture of adjustments.
From the opening possession of the third quarter, ratiopharm Ulm turned it up a notch. Back and forth went Ulm and Bonn. Finally, even at 48 apiece, ratiopharm Ulm exploded on a 13-0 run. Outscoring the talented Bonn team 26-11 in the third, Ulm's defensive intensity and energy was elevated from the first half. Defensive stops led to transition baskets and Ulm earned a 61-48 advantage heading into the 4th quarter.
ratiopharm Ulm PG Austen Rowland attacks Bonn's Jason Gardner in transition Saturday night at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. Rowland was strong with 12 points 7 assists in the 80-68 win.
A furious fourth quarter run sparked by talented point guard Jason Gardner saw Bonn slice into the Ulm lead. Switching to a 3-2 zone, Bonn slowed down the Ulm attack and changed rhythm of the game. Behind Gardner's attacking drives and transition plays, Bonn cut the deficit point for point, play by play. Gradually gaining momentum, Bonn also benefitted from big man Gyasi Cline-Herd and pulled to within three points 66-63 and 69-66. Back to back big baskets from Jeff Gibbs upped Ulms lead to 73-66 and Ulm positioned themselves for the win. But the game would not close without excitement. After a defensive stop and exciting "up-for-grabs" rebound, Ulm's Konrad Wysocki ripped the ball away from several players on both teams. Feeling good about himself, Wysocki stared down a Bonn opponent holding possession of the basketball. Momentarily losing focus, Wysocki stared into the eyes of Bonn big man John Bowler. While Wysocki was "lost in the moment", Artur Kolodziejski alertly snuck up behind and stole the ball away causing another scramble which resulted in a foul. Amidst the action, Bowler and Wysocki continued to get to know each other. Finally, officials had enough and hit Bowler with a technical foul. Instantly, the Bonn bench was outraged. Ulm converted the free throws and the game continued. However, moments later, as Bonn missed another three point attempt, the long rebound belonged to Ulm and Konrad Wysocki was leaking out, wide open, ahead of the pack in a classic "Cherry Pick" situation. As the clock ticked under ten seconds, with the result already beyond doubt, the Ulm crowd rose to their feet as Konrad streaked in for a climactic slam. But, Bonn forward Jason Conley had other ideas. Sprinting full speed from halfcourt, Conely gave everything he had to prevent the easy basket. As Wysocki rose up for a two hand power slam, Bonn's Conley clobbered him from behind. With Wysocki laying on the baseline, the Ulm crowd went crazy. Ulm GM Thomas Stoll and Bonn Head Coach Michael Koch exchanged words. Both teams mingled under the basket. Officials worked to restore order. After administering the free throws, Ulm inbounded the ball, but officials called the game with 9.8 seconds remaining on the clock. An intense ending to this extremely competitive game.
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When foul trouble hit Ulm in the first half, steady post sub Florian Mobius was part of quality bench play which helped ratiopharm Ulm survive an early Bonn run.
ratiopharm Ulm and Bonn both shot 42% from the floor but it was Ulm who outrebounded Bonn 38-29 and dished out 15 assists as a team. The major statistical difference took place at the foul line where Ulm players combined to sink 25 of 29 free throws for an impressive 82% clip. Jeff Gibbs produced a strong 19 point 13 rebound double-double and Konrad Wysocki added 15 points with 5 boards from the Ulm bench. Jonathan Levy and Austen Rowland scored 12 points apiece with Rowland dishing out 7 dimes. Jason Gardner led Bonn with 19 points, Jason Conley chipped in 13 points and Gyasi Cline-Heard and Artur Kolodziejski added 10 points each.
Konrad Wysocki's energy was a key factor in the second half surge which helped Ulm seal their 7th straight home win. Ulm's "Energizing" sixth man, Wysocki scored 15 points with 5 rebounds in 23 minutes.
Completing a fantastic week with two important wins, Sportszentrum Kuhberg continues to be a strong homecourt advantage for ratiopharm Ulm! Now 10-4 in front of the outstanding Kuhberg fans, winners of 7 straight, beating a top team like Telekom Bonn is a strong accomplishment and positive step forward for the young Ulm team. But the Ulmer squad must refocus quickly as they travel to 14-13 Bayer Leverkusen for another exciting 7:30pm tip.
Follow all the fastbreaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
