TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
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Ludwigsburg Stays Unbeaten!
ratiopharm Ulm and EnBW Ludwigsburg rekindled their traditional regional rivalry with pride and passion Saturday night at Rundsporthalle in an exciting game that saw big shots from veteran guards Jerry Green and Gordon Scott boost Ludwigsburg to a hardfought 85-78 win. Aiming to be the first team in the league to knock off unbeaten Ludwigsburg, ratiopharm Ulm battled with a strong team effort until the final buzzer in an extremely competitive and entertaining contest highlighted by Jeff Gibbs 18 point 16 rebound performance!
CAPTAIN HOOK!
Ulm forward Emeka Erege gave great effort Saturday!
click here for complete Ulm @ Ludwigsburg Box Score
EnBW Ludwigsburg, off to a fantastic start to the season, entered Saturday night with supreme confidence from their first place position and blemish-free record. Interestingly, after two preseason games to get to know each other, Ludwigsburg head coach Silvano Poropat made a change from his usual starting five. Instead of veteran 3man Milan Goljovic, Silvano selected athletic rookie Jason Dourisseau in order to get better matchups against the Ulm wings. Even though Ludwigsburg ranked atop the points per game charts, Poropat knew second place Ulm could run and adjusted his starting lineup accordingly.
At tip-off, the move payed off as the action opened end to end filled with excitement! Fans from both teams were energized and into the game. Teams exchanged baskets in the early going with a transition attack. Dourisseau was effective on both ends of the floor. After six minutes, the scoreboard showed Ludwigsburg with a slight lead 12-10. But things would change quickly. The hardworking home team burst to a 10-0 run thanks to strong pressure defense and a quick fast break game. Several turnovers and missed layups complicated Ulm's quarter and by the end of one, Ludwigsburg controlled a 22-14 lead.
POINTS IN THE PAINT!
Ulm's Jeff Gibbs was relentless in the lane
Starting the second quarter, the unbeaten home team charged forward pushing their advantage to 31-18. Attempting to cut off the run and stabalize the game, Ulm huddled and made adjustments in a timeout. Responding immediately with Gibbs and Erege baskets, Ulm gathered themselves and pulled closer at 31-26. Immediately, Je'kel Foster sank a three and Dourisseau hammered home a fantastic fast break alley oop slam right back regaining a 36-26 margin. But the Ulm team rallied and by the end of the half, their hardwork showed results as they outscored their hosts 23-22 in quarter two. Ludwigsburg's strong start, pressure defense and Ulm's missed layups combined for a 44-37 score after twenty minutes. Getting back into the game, Ulm had worked extremely hard to outrebound Ludwigsburg 26-13 but made only 13 of 27 shots in the paint. In the halftime lockerroom, Ulm clearly communicated about the Ludwigsburg game plan, examined several phases of the game and re-affirmed their will to finish strong through contact in the lane.
Dipsy Doo!
ratiopharm Ulm's Austen Rowland scored 15 points with 5 assists.
Just as in the second quarter, a strong ratiopharm Ulm run would help them get back into the game. Emeka Erege opened the positive action for Ulm with a cool 15 foot baseline J. Attacking the rim, Erege was extremely active on both ends of the floor. Austen Rowland pushed the tempo and Ulm converted offense from their defense. Jeff Gibbs continued his assult on loose ball rebounds. Ulm finally pulled even 51-51 with defensive stops and transition baskets at the 4 minute mark of the third. A strong run spurred by Rowland, Levy, Erege, Konrad Wysocki and Gibbs gave Ulm a 58-53 lead and energy for the stretch. Ludwigsburg's answer came in the form of a Gordon Scott three and a powerful three point play from Brazilian National Team big man Michel Nascimento. Ludwigsburg held a slim 61-58 lead going into the final quarter.
Ulm's Jonathan Levy topscored with 19 points including a strong 4th quarter with several key buckets and free throws.
Before a sold-out Rundsporthalle, the traditional rivalry between Ulm and Ludwigsburg, once again came alive in the fourth quarter. Both teams attacked in what unfolded as an excellent game. Ulm's energy continued to rise while Ludwigsburg's experience began to show. Fans from both teams rocked the Rundsporthalle with noise for their team. At the midway point, Ulm held a 71-68 lead with 5 minutes to play. Ludwigsburg PG Jerry Green rose to the occassion and demonstrated why he is one of the top playmakers in the Bundesliga. Attacking Ulm's zone, Ludwigsburg moved the ball around the perimeter as the shot clock ticked down. Suddenly, with the ball in his hand on the left wing, well beyond the arc, Green recognized the situation and created a shot. His deep NBA range three sailed through the air and as the shot clock buzzer went off.... it went in. Ludwigsburg fans errupted as Green tied the game with another clutch shot for his team. The next page in this exciting rivalry was being scripted before everyone's eyes. Gordon Scott sank another money three and Jonathan Levy answered for ratiopharm Ulm with a three of his own. Players from both teams made big plays. The table was set for a fantastic finish.
RIVALRY RENEWED!
Ulm's Konrad Wysocki battled with Ludwigsburg's Gordon Scott, Michel Nascimento (middle) and Nils Mittmann (left)
With Ulm up one 78-77 and two minutes to play, a timeout huddled both teams for last minutes strategy. Out of the timeout, Erege drove hard to the baseline but slipped. Alertly he found Levy cutting on the right wing. Open for a corner three, Levy lifted over the closing out Ludwigsburg defense for an open look. After hitting a big three moments ago, everyone could see he felt good. Unfortunately for Ulm, Jono's J went in halfway. The ball rimmed out and Ludwigsburg grabbed the rebound. At the other end, Nascimento finished a strong spin move in the paint through contact for an AND1 foul three point play. The clutch post move gave Ludwigsburg an 80-78 lead. With just over one minute remaining, Ulm executed a play popping Levy to the wing where he drove hard one on one. Like Erege, Levy slipped losing the ball out of bounds as he attempted to regain control. The turnover and missed shot proved costly as the empty possessions in the last minutes shortcircuited the Ulm upset attempt. Down two 80-78, Ulm dug in for a crunchtime defensive stand. Minutes before, it was Jerry Green making the big three. This time, Green drove hard to the rim, stopped and pivoted. Somehow knowing where everyone was on the floor, Green zipped a pass to an open Gordon Scott who caught and shot a high arching rainbow three from the left corner. Scott sent his shot straight to China without even rippling the net --- a dagger three as important as it was beautiful. The 83-78 lead put Ulm behind the 8 ball. Last minute effort saw Ulm relentlessly rebound and force a turnover giving themselves 5 attempts. Unfortunately, their shots were off mark and Ludwigsburg sealed the game with free throws. At the final buzzer, both teams could take pride in their effort, but it would be Ludwigsburg who could take home the two points.
Examining the game stats, one must look no further than Ulm's 20-46 (43%) shooting performance in the lane. Many missed layups added up in the possession for possession game. Amazingly, Ulm outrebounded Ludwigsburg 49-32 including an amzing 26 offensive rebounds. In a unique stat, Ulm power forward Jeff Gibbs outrebounded the entire Ludwigsburg team with 9 offensive rebounds compared to 8 for the winners. Ludwigsburg not only made 53% of their shots, they made clutch shots. In another amazing statistic, Ulm hit 38% from the floor 30-79 but the 79 attempts were 20 more total shots than Ludwigsburg's 59. For Ulm, Jeff Gibbs was exceptional with 18 points and 16 rebounds on 7 for 12 shooting. Jonathan Levy topscored with 19 points making clutch shots and Austen Rowland added 15 points 5 assists. Emeka Erege also gave the team outstanding effort on both ends contributing 12 points 8 rebounds in a losing cause. Ulm C Maksym Shtein played limited minutes in his return to the team from illness which caused him to miss practice all week. Demostrating the mark of a true team, Ludwigsburg received excellent contributions from expected and surprise places. Jerry Green (15 points 8 assists) and Michel Nascimento (15 points 8 rebounds) were key figures as was the top marksmanship from forward Gordon Scott who hit 4 of 7 threes in scoring 14 points off the bench. Nate Harris was the other double digit scorer for Ludwigsburg with 11.
At 4-5 ratiopharm Ulm looks ahead to next Saturday's home game against New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig set for 7pm at Sportszentrum Kuhberg.
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GO ULM!
MIKE T
