Ulm Rolls to Big Win over Nordlingen!
Jonathan Levy scored 24 points and Jeff Gibbs pounded an 18 point 14 rebound double double igniting Ulm's explosion to big runs in the second and fourth quarters resulting in a 106-63 blowout win over visiting Nordlingen before an sellout crowd at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in 2.Bundesliga South Basketball action Monday evening in Ulm. Improving to 2-0, ratiopharm Ulm shot 61% from the floor and outrebounded Nordlingen 41-28 in the game. Ulm receieved outstanding production from the bench as Jan Sprunken, Christian Grosse and Florian Mobius combined for 26 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists on 10-20 shooting.
Jono slashes to the bucket for 2 of his 24
Early in the game, Nordlingen and Ulm went nose to nose as both teams pushed the ball and ran the floor effectively for easy scores. Martin Thuesen triggered the uptempo action drilling an open three for the game's first points from the left wing. Nordlingen guards Cedric Brooks and Mario Probst pushed the pace and penetrated well in the first quarter surprising Ulm with their speed in transition. Nordlingen got inside buckets from center Kevin Hanson and hardworking power forward Mario Matic and the game was relatively even through the early stage. Nordlingen's Cedric Brooks came up with two backcourt steals resulting in baskets for the visitors. Facing a triangle in 2 defense for some possessions, Ulm moved the ball and attacked the basket effectively.
Late in the first quarter, Ulm center Maksym Shtein drew two fouls on skilled Nordlingen big man Kevin Hanson. Shtein drove him hard in an isolation play drawing the whistle from the referee that sent Hanson to the visitors bench with first half foul trouble. As Ulm worked its rotation subbing in key bench players Jan Sprunken, Christian Grosse and Florian Mobius, it became clear that Ulm's depth would challenge Nordlingen. Two three point jumpers from Jan Sprunken gave Ulm momentum and a ten point lead forcing a Nordlingen timeout. At the end of one, Ulm built a slim 27-21 lead.
During the second quarter, Ulm's depth became a factor. Sprunken and Grosse made plays on the perimeter while power forward Jeff Gibbs was a monster on the glass. Gibbs, who finished the first half with 9 points 10 rebounds, became a physical scorer in the paint. Jonathan Levy also got hot during a key second quarter stretch hitting a three, slashing along the left baseline for a score and finishing a fast break with a slam dunk to energize the fans.
Christian Grosse defends Nordlingen's Mario Probst (4).
A 24-12 second quarter gave Ulm a commanding 51-33 halftime lead. At the half, Ulm enjoyed balanced scoring, a 55% fg% and doubled Nordlingen on the boards 26-13. Nordlingen hit 2 for 11 from three point range and only 1 of 6 free throws in the first half.
But a slow start to the second half gave Nordlingen life. Turnovers and sloppy executiong for a third quarter stretch helped Nordlingen trim the deficit to 10 before a Mike T timeout. Grosse and Sprunken returned to the lineup to play against Nordlingen's zone defenses. Ulm reestablished their poise behind Emeka Erege and Jeff Gibbs for several possessions. During Ulm's comeback stretch, PG Martin Thuesen took a hard shot to his nose causing it to bleed and him to leave the game. Working back, the 21-21 third quarter rebuilt Ulm's lead and sent the teams into the fourth quarter with the score 72-54.
Maksym Shtein scores inside over Nordlingen's Mario Matic (10).
It was during the fourth quarter, that everything fell in place for Ulm while for Nordlingen, everything fell apart. In a dominating 34-9 fourth quarter, Jonathan Levy, Christian Grosse and Jan Sprunken all drilled three pointers against the Nordlingen zone. Post players Jeff Gibbs, Maksym Shtein and Florian Mobius made excellent passing plays from the high post area against the zone and Ulm defense consistently came up with solid stops. Ulm produced offense from their defense as the tean got layups and dunks running the break off turnovers. Gradually emptying the bench, Ulm found minutes for everyone dressed and the young prospects performed well. Two Chris Grosse free throws put Ulm over the 100 point mark and the sellout crowd started the wave. Free throws from Antonis Sivorotka and a breakaway layup by Benni Gulde added to the scoring before the final buzzer went off and the Ulm fans celebrated their 106-63 victory.
Jeff Gibbs (11) hammers Nordlingen's Kevin Hanson in the post.
ratiopharm Ulm powered past Nordlingen with the 34-9 fourth quarter and 55-30 second half. TAYLORHOOPS.COM PLAYER OF THE GAME Jonathan Levy made his home debut special with several spectacular plays while scoring 24 points, hitting 4 of 9 threes and playing good defense. Ulm travels to Wurzburg to play the 0-2 Main Franken Baskets Saturday night October 8th after the game was moved from Sunday the 9th to Saturday the 8th earlier this week. Wurzburg is the home city of Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki and Nowitzki was drafted into the NBA while playing for Wurzburg in the 2.Bundesliga South.
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GO ULM!
MIKE T
