TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
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FIREWORKS!
ULM SEALS PLAYOFF SPOT WITH BIG WIN OVER LUDWIGSBURG!
ratiopharm Ulm punched their first Bundesliga Playoff ticket with a fantastic 103-66 home win over EnBW Ludwigsburg Friday night at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm! Catching fire from the perimeter, ratiopharm Ulm sank a sizzling 17 of 33 three pointers (52%) as every Ulm player scored in the offensive fireworks. Rookie forward Dan Fitzgerald highlighted the terrific team win with a season best 22 point performance powered by 7 for 11 three point shooting and Sebastian Betz continued his excellent play with 17 points burying 3 of 6 threes. Celebrating their first Bundesliga playoff berth with a memorable 37 point victory, ratiopharm Ulm improves to 19-11 and looks ahead to Sunday's road trip to Trier for the back end of their exciting two game weekend!
ratiopharm Ulm rookie forward Dan Fitzgerald was on fire Friday night drilling 7 of 11 three pointers to topscore with 22 points in the playoff clinching 103-66 win!
Click here for Ulm v Ludwigsburg Friday 4-14-09 Box Score
click here for Ulm v Ludwigsburg photo gallery
click here for regio-tv report
ratiopharm Ulm guard Sebastian Betz continued his terrific play with a 17 point night against EnBW Ludwigsburg Friday at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. Here, Basti leans past former Breitengussbach teammate Christopher Schlatter of EnBW Ludwigsburg.
For ratiopharm Ulm basketball fans, the teams tradition was established in the organization's first Bundesliga era after their 1988 'Aufsteig'. Enjoying a successful run in the early through mid 1990's, Head coach Brad Dean and star player Jarvis Walker created many highlights for basketball fans in the city and within the region. Following a difficult period around the year 2000, basketball in Ulm struggled and was relegated out of the top German division. In 2001, Dr Thomas Stoll spearheaded the campaign to ressurect basketball in the city. Rebuilding the foundation and providing new leadership, Thomas Stoll and his newly reformed organization slowly began to grow. Through 5 seasons in the 2.Bundesliga South, ratiopharm Ulm worked their way forward until their second 'Aufsteig' in 2005-2006. Now, three seasons later, the dreams of reaching the Bundesliga playoffs filled Sportszentrum Kuhberg with anticipation and energy. Friday night, ratiopharm Ulm had the chance to turn opportunity into achievement and make those Bundesliga playoff dreams a reality.
ratiopharm Ulm forward Romeo Travis glides by EnBW Ludwigsburg wing Frank Robinson for a smooth reverse layup in Friday nights 103-66 home win. Romeo finished with a strong 14 point 7 rebound performance.
Both teams entered Friday's rivalry game with much to play for. ratiopharm Ulm was focused to officially earn a playoff spot with a home win, while EnBW Ludwigsburg wanted to firmly establish hold of the 8th and final playoff place in their fight to make the post season. Ludwigsburg took confidence in their December 14th overtime home win over ratiopharm Ulm and the fact they had won 4 of their last 5 games. Meanwhile, ratiopharm Ulm looked to bounce back from back to back losses against rival Walter Tigers Tubingen and MEG Gottingen. With a playoff feel pre-game, fans filled Sportszentrum Kuhberg for Friday's exciting tip off of the Bundesliga's double game day weekend.
ratiopharm Ulm All Star power forward Jeff Gibbs works one on one in the post against his rival Kelvin Gibbs from Ludwigsburg.
At tip off, ratiopharm Ulm went to work immediately building a 9-0 lead. A Sean Finn post move, two Jeff Gibbs buckets and a Lee Humphrey left wing three opened the scoring. Ludwigsburg started slow as several attempts rimmed out. Finally, four minutes in, wing Brandon Woudstra cracked the scoring column with Ludwigsburg's first basket and guests trimmed the Ulm advantage to 15-11 with 2 minutes remaining in the first quarter. But ratiopharm Ulm exploded to an 11-1 run over the final two minutes of the first building a 26-12 lead. Dan Fitzgerald, Sebastian Betz and Keith Triplett keyed the surge with excellent three point shooting and big defensive plays. Sebastian Betz checked into the game and instantly drilled a transition right wing three to start the flow before Dan Fitzgerald finished it. Playing in front of his family for the first time, Dan Fitzgerald sank two energizing three point shots in the run. In the first quarter, Ulm shot 61% from the floor, buried 4 of 7 threes (57%), handed out 7 assists as a team and outrebounded Ludwigsburg 12-8.
ratiopharm Ulm guard Keith Triplett manuevers between EnBW Ludwigsburg defenders in Friday nights 103-66 win. Keith totaled 7 points 4 assists and 3 steals in an excellent effort.
After the momentum building run to close the first quarter helped Ulm build a 14 points lead, the team remained focused understanding much of the game remained to be played. Ulm's outstanding defensive effort continued. Breaking the game open with a 10-0 run to open the second quarter, Ulm ran to a 36-12 lead with 7 minutes in the first half. Romeo Travis and Lee Humphrey finished the first half with 10 points apiece to pace Ulm scoring and the Ulm fullcourt pressure created several turnovers with changing press defenses. At the five minute mark of the second quarter, Ulm's lead was 40-14 and they finished the first half on fire outscoring Ludwigsburg 22-12 to take a 62-26 halftime lead.
ratiopharm Ulm floor general Dru Joyce hits a pullup J at the end of the first half in Friday nights playoff clinching 103-66 home win over EnBW Ludwigsburg. Dru has given Ulm excellent leadership throughout the season and has a great chance to lead the Bundesliga in assists.
At the half, Ulm held a commanding 36 point advantage at halftime and were well on their way to sealing their first Bundesliga playoff berth after the first twenty minutes. Ulm hit 10 of 19 first half threes (53%) and drilled 61% from the floor while limiting Ludwigsburg to 28% shooting and 2 of 12 from three (17%). A key to Ulm's strong performance was the outstanding play and production from the teams bench as Dan Fitzgerald, Keith Triplett, Sebastian Betz and Per Gunther gave their team excellent minutes in the first half. Planning ahead for Sunday's road game in Trier, Ulm prepared at halftime to take advantage of the opportunity to use their entire team finding minutes for everyone and resting starters for the second game of the challenging two game weekend.
While Ulm began the second half with their normal rotation, the bench was rotated in early and often. Ludwigsburg battled back outscoring Ulm 24-10 in the third quarter, but the determined hosts maintained a 68-38 lead halfway through the third and were up 76-50 going into the fourth. Ulm took advantage of the chance to play their entire roster and the team responded with hardwork and excellent play.
ratiopharm Ulm Head Coach Mike Taylor and rookie point guard Per Gunther discuss the game plan during a free throw.
Opening the fourth quarter, Ulm's starters played their final minutes of the evening and the young players and bench gained valuable experience. A 12-4 run over the first five minutes of the fourth sealed the win as Ulm's lead swelled to 88-54. Down the stretch, rookie point guard set the table for his teammates to get into the score book as captain Emeka Erege hit a right wing three, backup center Michael Schroeder tipped in a put back and youth player Cedric von During put ratiopharm Ulm over the century mark with his late game right wing three. At the final buzzer, ratiopharm Ulm had put an exclaimation point on their playoff clinching win as every player made a positive impact on the historically significant victory for the Ulm organization. Along with the great team moment, the fact ratiopharm Ulm clinched their playoff spot at home allowed the team to celebrate with their fans as everyone could enjoy the moment together. Finally, rookie forward Dan Fitzgerald and family could celebrate his fantastic performance as his family saw the former Marquette Warrior play live for the first time professionally in Europe.
ratiopharm Ulm forward Dan Fitzgerald enjoyed an outstanding game as his family visited Ulm to see him play for the first time professionally in Europe.
A fantastic way for Ulm to seal their first Bundesliga playoff spot, the team shot 57% from the floor, drilled 17 of 33 three point attempts and dished out 24 assists. Ludwigsburg hit 37% of their shots including 7 of 27 threes (26%) and outrebounded Ulm 39-35 in the loss.
ratiopharm Ulm center Michael Schroeder challenges a Tomas Nagys shot in Friday nights win.
Several Ulm players turned in outstanding performances led by rookie forward Dan Fitzgerald who buried a season high 7 of 11 threes to topscore with 22 points. Sebastian Betz continued his excellent play hitting 3 of 6 threes to add 17 points and Romeo Travis produced 14 points 7 rebounds and Lee Humphrey totaled 10 points in the win. Every ratiopharm Ulm player played and every player scored as Cedric von During put Ulm over the century mark with a righ wing three. Frank Robinson and De'Angelo Alexander scored 14 points apiece to lead Ludwigsburg in the loss.
Now 19-11, ratiopharm Ulm moves into the 5th spot in the Bundesliga standings as they look forward to Sunday's road trip to Trier for the second game of their exciting two game weekend. Basketball fans all over the world can watch the Ulm at Trier game live online at www.sportdigital.tv Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
