bonnroadloss1011

TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE

71 68

BONN EDGES ULM!

ratiopharm Ulm rallied throughout an exciting fourth quarter comeback but their late charge fell short as Telekom Baskets Bonn claimed a 71-68 victory Sunday evening at Telekom Dome. Rocky Trice led the Ulm attack with a terrific 17 point 5 rebound 3 assist 3 steal performance and John Bryant added 15 points 9 rebounds in the physical game.

ratiopharm Ulm All Star forward Robin Benzing and Telekom Baskets Bonn forward Jacob Jaacks fight for a rebound Sunday evening at Telekom Dome in Bonn.

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With Ulm both teams focused to finish the season strong, ratiopharm Ulm looked to break their winless streak at Bonn while Bonn hoped to keep playoff hopes alive. Ulm entered Sunday's matchup with momentum from their Sunday home win over Trier while Bonn looked to bounce back from a road loss in Oldenburg in their previous game.

ratiopharm Ulm guard Rocky Trice led the offensive attack with 17 points 5 boards 3 assists Sunday in Bonn.

Ulm won the jump ball but turned the ball over on the first possession after Chris Ensminger stole a Coleman Collins high-low post feed but Ulm defense recorded their first stop of the evening as Robin Benzing ripped down a strong defensive rebound. John Bryant received a hard foul on the other end and sank the first free throw for the games first point. Although John's second foul shot rattled out, Robin Benzing tracked down the offensive rebound and moments later drilled a left wing three for a 4-0 Ulm lead. Nic Wise got into the Ulm lane and dropped off a nice bounce pass to a cutting Ensminger for Bonn's first two before Bonn's veteran big man tied the game with a layup from an endline inbound play on the next possession. Bonn's Jacob Jaacks finished in the lane to give Bonn a 6-4 lead.

ratiopharm Ulm All Star forward Robin Benzing works on the post as Telekom Bonn's Alex King defends.

But Ulm wing Sebastian Betz blocked a Jaacks shot on the next defensive possession and Rocky Trice hit a deep three beating the shot clock buzzer to reclaim an Ulm lead. Five minutes into action, Ulm was up 7-6. Moments later Rocky Trice struck again poking loose a steal at midcourt then feeding a streaking Robin Benzing for a breakaway slam. Tommy Mason-Griffin nailed a pullup jumpshot and Ulm's run continued to 11-6. But Bonn's Nic Wise hit a pullup jumper of his own and forward Mark Tyndale tacked on one free throw pulling the hosts within 11-9. Dan Fitzgerald hit a pick and pop right wing three from Tommy Mason-Griffin and Ulm was up 14-9. Nic Wise hit another J and Tommy Mason-Griffin finished a runner in the lane for a 16-11 Ulm lead. But Bonn finished the first quarter strong as Alex King hit from the left side cutting the margin to 16-13. After a block off the backboard went unwhistled, Bonn's Tim Ohlbrecht buried a top of the key three in transition to tie the score at 16. An Ulm turnover led to a foul which Nic Wise turned into two free throws for Bonn and an 18-16 lead with 38.4 seconds in the first. Tommy Mason-Griffin could not connect on a right elbow jumpshot and Bonn's Jeremy Hunt hit a step back three from the left wing as the first quarter clock expired. Bonn led 21-16 after one.

ratiopharm Ulm forward Coleman Collins attacks the basket against the physical Bonn defense.

As quarter two opened, Ulm defense earned a stop and John Bryant scored on a fadeaway shot in the post pulling Ulm within 21-18. Tim Ohlbrecht hit another three for Bonn pushing the margin to 24-18. Ulm went back inside to John Bryant for another bucket on the block but Ohlbrecht scored on a right hand jumphook of his own keeping Bonn up six, 26-20. After an Ulm turnover, Chris Ensminger extended Bonn's lead to eight and Jeremy Hunt hit a top of the key three for an eleven point lead 31-20. Rocky Trice sliced down the lane for a lefthanded scoop finish off glass to stop the Bonn run, but Sajmen Hauer drove baseline and hit a pullup jumpshot through a foul giving Bonn a 33-22 lead. Before Hauer's free throw attempt, ratiopharm Ulm used their first timeout with 6:12 remaining in the half.

ratiopharm Ulm center John Bryant finishes in the post Sunday as Telekom Bonn's Mark Tyndale defends.

Out of the timeout, Hauer added the free throw for a 34-22 score. Ulm's John Bryant could not finish a dive cut and Bonn's counter-attack in transition resulted in a Chris Ensminger slam. But the Ulm center made up for his last miss with a strong finish cutting the gap to 36-24. At the other end, Tim Ohlbrecht drew a foul from Coleman Collins and sank one of two free throws for a 37-24 game with 4:47 in the half. ratiopharm Ulm's matchup zone began to slow the Bonn attack. Per Gunther drew a foul and made both free throws trimming the gap to 11 with 4:36 to go. John Bryant scored in the post narrowing the deficit to 37-28 at 3:33. Bonn took a timeout.

ratiopharm Ulm All Star forward Robin Benzing battles for a loose ball with Bonn's Alex King.

Unlike the first quarter which saw Bonn finish strong, ratiopharm Ulm closed the half well. Robin Benzing and Rocky Trice drew fouls on consecutive drives sending Ulm to the foul line in the bonus. Rocky sank one of two free throws pulling Ulm within 37-29 with 2:52 in the half. On the next possession, Rocky drew another foul and made both from the charity stripe closing the gap to 37-31. Bonn used another timeout with 1:49 remaining. After another Ulm defensive stop, John Bryant powered his way to a strong left handed post finish and Ulm was within 4, 37-33. Bonn's Patrick Flomo cut to the basket for a bucket snapping Ulm's run. With under one minute to play, a Bonn deflection led to an endline inbound play for Ulm with 34 seconds in the half and 12 seconds on the shot clock. Ulm used a timeout. Out of the timeout, Bonn played a 2-3 zone defense and Ulm attacked. Tommy Mason-Griffin rimmed out a right wing three point look but at the other end of the floor Bonn's Jacob Jaacks stepped on the sideline returning possession to Ulm. With 4.4 seconds on the clock, Ulm's 3/4 court sideline inbound play saw Tommy Mason-Griffin fire a ball ahead pass to a streaking Rocky Trice who hit a contested right wing three pointer at the first half buzzer. Rocky's shot energized Ulm and cut the gap to three, 39-36.

ratiopharm Ulm forward Coleman Collins shuts off the baseline as Telekom Bonn wing Alex King passes out.

At the half, Ulm had fought their way back into the game after trailing by 14 in the second quarter. Ulm hit 46% of their shots making 4 of 10 threes (40%) and 6 of 8 free throws (75%) while outrebounding Bonn 17-16. Bonn made 47% from the floor including 4 of 12 threes (33%) and 5 of 7 free throws (71%). Ulm suffered 8 turnovers to Bonn's 5 in the first twenty minutes of action. John Bryant and Rocky Trice led the Ulm offense with 11 points apiece while Tim Ohlbrecht had 9 and Chris Ensminger 8 for Bonn.

ratiopharm Ulm team defense limited Bonn to 39% from the floor in Sunday's hardfought game.

As the second half began, ratiopharm Ulm's offense could not get on track. Robin Benzing rimmed out a right corner three on the teams opening possession of the third quarter. Tim Ohlbrecht powered his way for a basket giving Bonn a 41-36 lead. Rocky Trice banked in a jumpshot pulling Ulm to 41-38. It would be Ulm's last basket for a 6 minute third quarter stretch that helped Bonn rebuild their cushion.

ratiopharm Ulm wing Sebastian Betz blocks Jacob Jaacks Sunday evening at Telekom Dome in Bonn.

Bonn's run began with two Mark Tyndale free throws followed by a Chris Ensminger dunk. Bonn led 45-38 as Ulm took a timeout at the 5:47 mark of the third quarter. As the Ulm offense suffered empty possessions in a stretch of missed shots and turnovers, Bonn slowly added to their advantage. The Bonn push continued with two Ensminger free throws for a 47-38 lead. With 3;17 in the third, Ensminger added one of two foul shots for a 48-38 margin. Tommy Mason-Griffin finally snapped the Ulm drought with a pullup jumper from the right elbow bringing his team within 48-40. At the other end, Ensminger hit a hook shot rebuilding the double digit 50-40 lead. John Bryant drew a foul and converted two for two from the free throw line with 2:02 to go. Bonn's Chris Ensminger powered his way to an AND1 finish and a 53-42 Bonn lead with 1:53. Michael Wenzl finished at the rim off a nice pass from Tommy Mason-Griffin and Ulm trailed 53-44 with 1 minute to play in the third. Jacob Jaacks scored on a reverse layup for Bonn before an errant Basti Betz pass led to a Jeremy Hunt steal and unsportsmanlike 'last-man' foul by Lee Humphrey with 28.3 seconds in the quarter. Hunt made one of two free throws and Nic Wise stuck a top of the key shot extending Bonn's lead to 58-44 at the end of three.

Telekom Bonn point guard Nic Wise works against ratiopharm Ulm point guard Per Gunther.

In the fourth quarter, Ulm fell behind by 19 points as Jeremy Hunt grabbed an offensive rebound for a put-back score and Nic Wise drilled a right corner three for a 63-44 lead.

ratiopharm Ulm center John Bryant challenges Bonn's Patrick Flomo Sunday evening at Telekom Dome.

Ulm dug in and began to battle back. Rocky Trice drove strong to the basket and Robin Benzing drew a foul on another strong drive. Attacking the basket again, Robin Benzing earned a trip to the foul line where he made one of two. With 7:22 to play, Ulm trailed 63-45. On Ulm's next possession, Robin curled to the basket picking up another Bonn foul and sinking two more free throws. Ulm trailed 63-47 with 7:12 remaining. Defensively, Ulm's matchup zone continued to create problems for the Bonn offense. Ulm earned a shot clock violation with their zone defense and momentum continued to build. John Bryant picked up an offensive foul posting up and Ulm used a timeout with 6:31 to play.

ratiopharm Ulm center John Bryant contests Bonn point guard Nic Wise Sunday evening at Telekom Dome in Bonn.

Back in their zone, ratiopharm Ulm's Rocky Trice poked loose a steal and Per Gunther drew a foul leading to two free throws. Ulm was down 63-49 with 5:46 to go. After continued strong defensive stops, Ulm had two chances to cut further into the Bonn lead but an open Robin Benzing right wing transition three rimmed out and a breakaway dunk by Rocky Trice was blocked away by Mark Tyndale in a fantastic athletic play. But Ulm's matchup zone continued to provide problems for Bonn. A Nic Wise three missed and Jacob Jaacks fouled going for the offensive rebound. Already in the bounus, Robin Benzing sank two foul shots and Ulm cut the deficit to 63-50 with 4:52 to go. Another Ulm defensive stop led to two Per Gunther free throws as Ulm slowly worked their way back. Moments later, Rocky Trice came up with another steal that led to a coast to coast transition layup from Per Gunther cutting the score to 63-54. As momentum grew for Ulm, Bonn's Mark Tyndale missed a right wing three and fouled Per Gunther going for a rebound. Per cooly converted both foul shots and Ulm was within 63-56 with 2:43 to go. The Ulm zone forced Bonn's Chris Ensminger into a travel but Ulm could not capitalize as the teams traded turnovers. Rocky Trice came up big once again with a halfcourt steal and breakaway slam bringing Ulm within 63-58. Ulm's defense continued to stop Bonn and Robin Benzing drilled a right corner three off a nice pass from Per Gunther cutting the margin to 65-61 with 1:20 to play. On the next defensive possession, Robin Benzing attempted to draw a charge on Mark Tyndale. After the collision along the right baseline in front of the Ulm bench went uncalled, officials whistled Dan Fitzgerald for a reach in foul. Tyndale tacked on two free throws for a 67-61 Bonn lead with 1:03 to play. Attacking quickly in transition, Ulm's Per Gunther slipped a perfect pass to a diving John Bryant for two. Ulm trailed 67-63 with 58 seconds to play. The Ulm defense dug in for a big stop. The comeback continued. Unfortunately for Ulm, as Per Gunther pushed the ball in transition, a Bonn double team defelected the ball loose for a turnover. Responding immediately, Per intelligently fouled Nic Wise with 28 seconds on the clock. Wise cooly sank both key free throws pushing Bonn's lead to six, 69-63. Attacking quickly, Per Gunther found Rocky trice for a backdoor cut dunk trimming the margin to 69-65 with 20.9 seconds. Ulm fouled Nic Wise once again and the Bonn pg made one of two foul shots for a 70-65 game. Ulm used their final timeout to advance the basketball and run a sideline play. Rocky Trice took the inbound pass and drove strong only to be cut off by good Bonn defense. Finding Dan Fitzgerald on the wing, Rocky fired a pass to his teammate but Bonn closed out well forcing Dan into a tough three point shot which was offline. Chris Ensminger won the battle for the rebound and Ulm fouled with 9.9 seconds. Ensminger made one of two shots for a 71-65 score. Quickly pushing the ball upcourt, Per Gunther skipped a pass to Dan Fitzgerald on the left wing for a deep three. Dan drilled the shot cutting the score in half to 71-68 with 3.3 seconds to play. Inboundng the ball quickly, Bonn found point guard Nic Wise as Ulm scrambled to foul. But the Bonn pg made a smart play tossing the basketball up in the air to avoid the Ulm foul and run out the game clock. Ulm's comeback was admirable, but in the end, the whole was too big to overcome. Bonn escaped with a 71-68 victory.

ratiopharm Ulm post men John Bryant and Coleman Collins battle for a loose ball with Bonn big men Chris Ensminger and Jacob Jaacks Sunday at Telekom Dome in Bonn.

ratiopharm Ulm was led by Rocky Trice's 17 points 5 rebound 3 assist 3 steal performance while John Bryant added 15 points 9 rebounds in the loss. Robin Benzing chipped in 12 points 5 boards and Per Gunther finished with 10 points 5 assists for Ulm. As a team, Ulm shot 40% from the floor including 6 for 18 from three (33%) and 18 for 22 from the foul line (82%) while outrebounding Bonn 36-35. Bonn was led by Chris Ensminger with 19 points 5 boards, Nic Wise with 14 points and Tim Ohlbrecht's 11 point 9 rebound night. Bonn shot 39% from the field making 5 of 19 threes (26%) and 20 of 26 free throws (77%). Ulm suffered 19 turnovers while Bonn had 15 in the game.

ratiopharm Ulm returns to action with a road game against BBC Bayreuth Thursday March 31st at Oberfrankenhalle. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!

GO ULM!

MIKE T