Long night for Langen;
115-82 win over Giraffes Stretches Ulm winning streak to 16!
ratiopharm Ulm and TV Langen Giraffes entered Sportszentrum Kuhberg for Saturday night's 2.Bundesliga South matchup riding momentum of winning streaks. But when the smoke cleared following the final buzzer, it was ratiopharm Ulm stretching their winning streak to 16 games while snapping Langen's at six with a convincing 115-82 victory powered by sizzling outside shooting and tremendous production from the entire lineup. Trailing 29-26 after one quarter, Ulm shifted into high gear outscoring the Giraffes 31-15 in the second quarter before turning on the afterburners and exploding for 38 points in the third. Fueling the prolific offensive production, Ulm shot 58% (43-74) from the floor for the game including 52% (12-23) from beyond the arc. Leading seven Ulm players in double figures, Jonathan Levy topscored with 25 points on 10-14 from the floor and 4 for 6 from three. Ulm's strong team performance on both ends of the floor registered 24 assists while forcing 20 turnovers.
Emeka Erege with the SLAM! (Photo: Thilo Hensel)
Saturday January 21, 2006 7pm
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ratiopharm Ulm clicked on all cylinders Saturday night at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in the teams 115-82 victory over TV Langen Giraffes. At the final buzzer, 7 Ulm players reached double figures in scoring as the team shot 58% (43-74) from the floor including a hot 52% (12-23) from three. Scoring guard Jonathan Levy best exemplified his teams hot shooting drilling 10-14 from the floor and 4 for 6 from three to topscore with 25 points. Excellent production from all nine Ulm players forced the action and kept the engine humming at a high level all evening.
From the center jump, Langen looked determined to demonstrate why their winning streak had reached six games. With skilled young guards Dominik De Mello and Sebastian Barth penciled into the starting five along with crafty playmaker Ty Harrelson, the Langen lineup was built for speed with excellent perimeter shooting. Giraffes big men Koray Karaman and Bryce Burch stablized the paint and Head Coach Frenkie Ignatovic set the Langen game plan looking to stretch Giraffes win streak to seven straight. Two of the highest scoring teams in the league entering the game (Ulm 1st 89ppg; Langen 3rd 88ppg), both teams attacked in transition opening up in an uptempo flow. Ulm executed well in early possessions but did not react to the lightning fast Langen transition attack --- after makes or misses the Giraffes ran the floor and pushed the ball often gaining an advantage over retreating Ulm defenders. Slowly matching up, Ulm allowed Langen to get good looks early on and young talent Dominik De Mello showed by the Deutsche Bank Skyliners are so high on him drilling 3 first half three pointers over contesting Ulm defenders. Quickly reacting to the hot start from De Mello, Ulm adjusted their defensive matchups accordingly assigning Jonathan Levy to defend De Mello in an attempt to force the skilled young guard to shoot over a bigger more athletic defender.
Ulm's Jonathan Levy finishes this first half fast break with a fantastic hanging-AND1 basket over Langen's Dominik De Mello. Levy got loose for Ulm scoring a game high 25 points on a sizzling 10-14 shooting including a dazzling 4 for 6 from three.
Both teams traded baskets as action picked up. Fouls began to mount for both teams and depth became a factor. Despite his hot shooting start, De Mello was whistled with his second foul for Lagen sending him to the bench. Ulm edged to a small lead midway through the first, but a feisty Langen team foughtback to regain a 29-26 advantage at the end of one quarter. Ulm players played hard but needed to increase their defensive intensity level while elevating their offensive concentration. Refocused between quarters, Ulm was poised for a run.
Ulm power forward Jeff Gibbs (11) finishes this first half play in the paint as Langen's Koray Karaman and Bryce Burch (10) defend. Gibbs scored 15 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the ratiopharm Ulm win. (Hensel)
As in Kaiserslautern, Ulm recorded defensive stops and began to convert in transition. Creating offense from their defense, ratiopharm Ulm flexed their collective muscle and burst out of the basket trading. Emeka Erege was instrumental in limiting Langen during this important second quarter stretch as the Ulm captain demonstrated outstanding defensive intensity. Recovering loose balls, grabbing rebounds and recording deflections, Erege helped Ulm get into the open court where the running game went into effect. Pushing the ball with big men running, Ulm collected several easy baskets including a breakaway dunk from Erege. After a Langen timeout attempted to stop the run, Jonathan Levy went into the zone. The left handed LA native scored 20 points in the first half in a variety of ways --- Levy drilled a transition three point shot, he hit a post reaction three and finished a strong AND 1 hanging lay in that energized the Sportszentrum Kuhberg crowd. Other highlight plays in Ulm's second quarter run included a beautiful baseline drive and finish by Martin Thuesen and a wing three pointer from the Danish Dynamite. Jeff Gibbs relentlessly rebounded and worked to establish himself on the offensive block. Maksym Shtein made strong plays in the paint attacking the basket and drawing fouls --- the Ulm center was a perfect 4 for 4 from the line in the first half. Back to the matchup of Levy and De Mello, the move paid off for Ulm as Jono blocked De Mello's corner three into the crowd to fire up the Ulm fans! Finally, Ulm bench players Jan Sprunken, Florian Mobius, Christian Grosse and Konrad Wysocki all entered the game with excellent energy making a positive impact.
Ulm Center Maksym Shtein was strong against the Giraffes scoring 12 points on 4 for 6 floor shooting and a perfect 4 for 4 from the foul line.
Florian Mobius hit his patented mid-range jumpshots, Jan Sprunken drilled a breakspot three from the right wing, Christian Grosse buried a three from the left wing and Ulm poured it on. Making his Sportszentrum Kuhberg debut, Konrad Wysocki played with great intensity and brought excellent energy to the floor impressing his new home fans. Possibly a bit over-excited at first, Wysocki soon settled in and made positive plays on his way to his first double-double in an Ulm uniform. Playing at home for the first time since the big Jena win December 16th, a basketball starved Sportszentrum Kuhberg crowd thoroughly enjoyed the excellent Ulm second quarter. At the half Ulm took a 57-44 lead into the locker room. Adding to the Langen woes, officials hit athletic Giraffe wing Alex King with a technical foul walking off the floor on the way to the lockerroom as several Langen players disputed a call. Ulm had the luxury of knowing they would open the second half from the foul line shooting a technical free throw plus have possession.
Ulm guard Christian Grosse protects the ball from Langen's Bryce Burch on a slashing drive to the rim Saturday night. Sparking Ulm with energy, Grosse scored 9 points, dished out 3 assists and pilfered 3 steals against the Giraffes.
In the halftime lockerroom, Ulm discussed several adjustments defensively and reviewed a few offensive ideas that would sharpen their performance. Key concerns included transition defense, defensive discipline and communication in defending screens according to the Ulm game plan. Offensively, the team operated at a high level, especially in the second quarter. Ulm's transition game, tempo and teamwork were outstanding in the first half and the team fine tuned their engine tweaking a few minor points for improvement in the second half.
Wiley veteran Jan Sprunken sails past Langen's Sebastian Adeberg in Saturday's Ulm win. Sprunken continues to make a major impact for ratiopharm Ulm with his perimeter shooting, team play and leadership.
Ulm captain Emeka Erege sank both technical free throws to start Ulm off on the right foot. Jeff Gibbs followed with a second effort score in the paint and the Ulm attack was again off and running. Excellent defensive intensity created turnovers which sparked fast breaks. Again, just like the second quarter, Ulm ran the floor for easy scores. Hot shooting from the starters combined with easy baskets on the break broke the game open and pushed the lead to over 30. A momentary Ulm intensity lapse coupled with strong Langen play from point guard Ty Harrelson and Mirko Damjanovic cut the lead to 22 before an Ulm timeout stopped the slide. Huddling the troops and discussing the action, Ulm regained their form and began to rebuild their lead. Bench players subbed in freely and the "significant-contribution-high-level-bench-production" boosted the Ulm play. Wysocki brought energy to the boards. Grosse pushed the ball and found teammates including a brilliant cross court no-look dime to Mobius. By the end of the third quarter, Ulm held a commanding 95-64 lead.
Ulm point guard Martin Thuesen was sharp Saturday night against Langen totalling 12 points and 5 assists in the win. Here, Martin bursts baseline off a ballscreen for a bucket.
The fourth quarter saw Ulm's run continue. Unfortuntately, Langen's solid American power forward Bryce Burch was forced to leave the game with what was later diagnosed as a severe ankle sprain. Losing Burch took the remaining wind from the Langen sails. Ulm maintained their 30 point lead for the remainder for the game. Big men Florian Mobius, Jeff Gibbs and Konrad Wysocki all nailed three pointers as the offensive explosion continued. Capping off the extravaganza, Konrad Wysocki stole the show. As Langen dribbled out the clock with the final seconds ticking away, forward Alex King tossed aside the basketball. Stealthfully, Wysocki dashed through picked up the steal and raced to the rim beating the buzzer with an athletic reverse two hand slam to treat the crowd.
Ulm forward Florian Mobius was extremely productive off the bench scoring 14 points including 2 for 3 accuracy from beyond the three point line.
Ulm finished with 7 players in double figures led by Levy's 25 point, 6 assist, 4 rebound night. Jeff Gibbs added 15 points and 7 rebounds while Florian Mobius (14) and Emeka Erege (13) were solid in the win. Center Maksym Shtein (12 points 5 rebounds) and point guard Martin Thuesen (12 points 5 assists) provided Ulm with a good inside-outside balance while Konrad Wysocki produced a 10 point 10 rebound double-double in his first home game with ratiopharm Ulm. Wysocki also became the first Ulm player other than Jeff Gibbs to lead the team in rebounding. Also contributing major parts to the win, Christian Grosse scored 9 points dished out 3 assists and picked up 3 steals while Jan Sprunken added 5 points and cagey play. Ulm hit 58% from the field, 52% from three and 77% (17-22) from the line. Langen also put 5 players in double digits with Ty Harrelson, Sebastian Barth and Alex King producing 15 points apiece. Bryce Burch and Mirko Damjanovic each added 13 points. Harrelson grabbed 10 boards for the Giraffes, an impressive number for a playmaking guard. Unfortunately for Langen, the team shot 42% (28-66) from the floor, 22% (5-23) from three and 78% (21-27) from the line. The Giraffes suffered 20 turnovers compared with 8 assists and both teams evened out in rebounding at 32 apiece.
New Ulm forward Konrad Wysocki impressed Ulm fans in his Sportszentrum Kuhberg debut posting a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Playing with fantastic effort and excellent energy, Wysocki became the first Ulm player this season to outrebound teammate Jeff Gibbs. Konrad spiced up his performance with a three point J and capped off the win with a breakaway reverse slam just before the buzzer.
Mike T and Frenkie Ignatovic discuss basketball during pre-game. In his first season with Langen, Ignatovic has done an excellent job with the team guiding them to 6 straight wins before the set back against Ulm.
ratiopharm Ulm improves to 16-0 on the season and anticipates the next challenge Sunday January 29th in Nordlingen. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com
GO ULM!
MIKE T
