TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
91
63
STRONG FINISH!
Ulm finishes strong and looks ahead to playoffs!
ratiopharm Ulm raced to a 17-0 lead over the first five minutes of play and never looked back in Saturday nights 91-63 regular season finale win over Nordlingen at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. Finishing the season 21-13 in fifth place, ratiopharm Ulm used their productive team-victory to build momentum for the playoffs. Sean Finn led a balanced attack with 15 points 5 rebounds while Lee Humphrey added 13 points, Dan Fitzgerald finished with 12 points, Sebastian Betz contributed 11 points, Romeo Travis totaled 10 points 5 boards and All Star Power Forward produced 10 points 10 boards 6 assists in the win. A fantastic finish to a successful regular season, ratiopharm Ulm looks ahead to their Bundesliga playoff series against Telekom Baskets Bonn beginning next weekend!
ratiopharm Ulm All Star power forward Jeff Gibbs is congratulated by teammates after his three point make in the first quarter of Saturday's home win over Nordlingen. Jeff finished strong with a 10 point 10 rebound 6 assist performance.
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ratiopharm Ulm's Sean Finn slams home two of his team best 15 point 5 rebound effort against Nordlingen.
For fans from ratiopharm Ulm, Saturday nights season finale against Nordlingen showcased a 'new derby' best described as a friendly rivalry. After moving up with a championship season in Pro A, small-town Nordlingen continued their cindarella story with a strong start to the season and successful 'Klassenerhalt' this year. With most focus on Baden-Wurtemburg Derby's against rivals Walter Tigers Tubingen and EnBW Ludwigsburg, ratiopharm Ulm and Nordlingen fans enthusiastically embraced the 'New Derby' that developed this season between the two teams. And the first meeting in Nordlingen January 10th did not disappoint as Ulm sharpshooter Lee Humphrey sank the game winning free throw with one second left lifting ratiopharm Ulm to an exciting 80-79 road win. Closing the 2008-2009 Bundesliga regular season hosting Nordlingen in Game Day 34, ratiopharm Ulm was motivated to finish the season strong and build momentum for the playoffs.
ratiopharm Ulm floor general Dru Joyce eyes an open teammate in Saturdays season finale against Nordlingen. Dru finished as the Bundesliga assist leader with a 4.6 average.
Along with the anticipation of playoff basketball, ratiopharm Ulm was excited to finally find out their opponent in their upcoming first round playoff series. An Ulm win over Nordlingen and a Deutsche Bank Skyliners loss in Artland would give both teams 21-13 final records. Since ratiopharm Ulm swept the Skyliners in two games this season, Ulm holds the tie-breaker and would finish fifth. A fifth place finish would create a matchup against traditional power Telekom Baskets Bonn. A sixth place finish would open potential matchups against the third place finisher which depended upon the Game Day 34 showcase game for first place between ALBA Berlin and Ewe Baskets Oldenburg at O2 World in Berlin. Adding to the drama, Artland and Paderborn were fighting for the 8th and final playoff spot on the last day of the regular season.
ratiopharm Ulm forward Romeo Travis finishes this exciting acrobatic reverse layup as part of his 10 point 5 rebound night against Nordlingen.
With a shorthanded lineup, Nordlingen entered Saturdays season-ending game without several key players. Three point threat Osvaldo Jeanty was injured in a late season game against Bremerhaven and missed the final two games and earlier this week Bundesliga scoring leader Omari Westley was ejected from a Monday game in Koln resulting in a suspension by the Bundesliga. Without Jeanty and Westley, two key players for their team, Nordlingen's short bench was even shorter. Head coach Andreas Wagner aimed to work the entire team into the action including several good young prospects Florian Borstler, Josef Eichler and Julius Haag. While Nordlingen was missing key players, ratiopharm Ulm was at full strength --- focused to finish strong and build momentum for the playoffs, Ulm could be happy about a healthy team including starting small forward Romeo Travis who missed last weeks game due to a toe injury.
ratiopharm Ulm sharpshooter Lee Humphrey drills this deep three as part of his 13 point performance Saturday against Nordlingen. Lee finished tied for first in the Bundesliga for most three point shots made this season.
At tip off, Ulm went right to work. Sean Finn finished inside. Lee Humphrey drove to the basket. Jeff Gibbs powered his way to points in the paint. Off post reaction, Romeo Travis buried a top of the key three. Dru Joyce led the attack in transition. Ulm's defense forced missed shots and controlled the boards creating fast break opportunities. While Nordlingen came up empty, Ulm continued to add points. Attempting to stop the run, Nordlingen took their first timeout of the game. Immediately, Ulm pressed and trapped forcing an 8 second backcourt call. Over the first five minutes of the game, ratiopharm Ulm exploded to a 17-0 start. Finally, two Avi Kazarnovski free throws cracked the score board for Nordlingen. Ulm had all the momentum and was rolling. Lee Humphrey, Sebastian Betz, Dan Fitzgerald and Dru Joyce hit first quarter threes. Ulm was hot. But when Jeff Gibbs sank his second three pointer of the season from the top of the key, it became safe to say ratiopharm Ulm was on fire. Not stopping there, center Sean Finn stood at the top of the key routinely running a set play before recognizing he was wide open and unguarded. Listening to the encouraging shouts of teammates from the bench ('SHOOT'!), Sean took aim and fired his first three point attempt of the season. The 7 foot center swished the open three point shot and Sportszentrum Kuhberg went crazy. Ulm was in the zone. Finishing the first quarter 34-12, ratiopharm Ulm played with playoff fever.
ratiopharm Ulm rookie forward Dan Fitzgerald races upcourt with the basketball starting a fast break Saturday night against Nordlingen. Dan finished with 12 points in the win.
Quarter two opened with Ulm building on their lead. A 9-6 stretch pushed Ulm's advantage to 43-18 with five minutes to play in the first half. ratiopharm Ulm went deep into their rotation entering the bench late in the first and early in the second quarter. The strong start and focused team performance provided the chance to play the entire team. But several unforced turnovers from Ulm and hustle plays from Nordlingen gave the guests some easy baskets during a mid-second quarter stretch. After a timeout, Ulm regained their focus and finished the first half strong holding a 50-28 lead.
ratiopharm Ulm captain Emeka Erege enjoyed a strong 7 point performance Saturday night against Nordlingen.
At the half, Ulm held the commanding 22 point lead thanks to their defensive energy and hot shooting. Setting the tone for a strong finish, Ulm built momentum for next weeks playoffs with an excellent game. With strong contributions from the entire roster, Ulm's team performance in the first half of their season-finale clicked. With twenty minutes of basketball remaining in their 2008-2009 regular season, ratiopharm Ulm returned to the floor focused to have fun and celebrate their successful season while feeling good heading into the playoffs.
ratiopharm Ulm's Keith Triplett hustles after a loose ball coming up with a steal in Saturday's action against Nordlingen.
As the second half opened, Ulm maintained their rhythm as Romeo Travis finished a crafty reverse layup and scored off an offensive rebound scramble in the lane. Lee Humphrey drilled a left wing three tying him for the Bundesliga lead for most threepointers made this season. Maintaining their big margin, Ulm rotated the bench freely and got the entire team involved. Dan Fitzgerald and Sebastian Betz enjoyed excellent games. Captain Emeka Erege made his presence felt in the game scoring 7 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Ulm built their lead to 63-39 midway through the third quarter and held a 72-43 advantage at the end of the third.
ratiopharm Ulm's rookie point guard Per Gunther makes his move against Nordlingen defender Florian Borstler Saturday night. Per produced 6 points and 5 assists in the win.
With 10 minutes of regular season basketball remaining and holding a big lead, ratiopharm Ulm used the final quarter of their 2008-2009 season before playoffs to give everyone opportunity to play. Working through the rotation into the bench, Ulm found minutes for all active players. With the scoreboard showing 84-55 Ulm with five minutes to play, both Ulm and Nordlingen took advantage of the opportunity to play their young players. Fans from both teams celebrated their seasons and enjoyed the friendly rivalry as the final minutes of the 2008-2009 Bundesliga season ticked away. In the end, ratiopharm Ulm celebrated a 91-63 home victory and everyone with Ulm could feel good about their performance in their season finale.
ratiopharm Ulm's Michael Schroeder makes a strong move in the lane for a dunk Saturday night.
In the win, ratiopharm Ulm shot 51% from the floor including 13 for 32 from three point range (41%) and 6 of 11 from the foul line (55%). Nordlingen was limited to 38% shooting and went 0 for 16 from three on the evening. Ulm outrebounded Nordlingen 38-37 and dished out 22 assists to 9 turnovers. Sean Finn led the Ulm attack with 15 points 5 rebounds followed by Lee Humphrey with 13 points, Dan Fitzgerald 12 points, Sebastian Betz 11 points, Romeo Travis 10 points 5 boards and Jeff Gibbs 10 points 10 rebounds 6 assists. Monta McGee led Nordlingen with 16 points 14 rebounds, Avi Kazarnovski finished with 14 points, Brian Butch 11 and Ty Shaw 10.
ratiopharm Ulm's Sebastian Betz shot fakes Nordlingen defender Monta McGee. Basti scored 11 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and hit 2 of 3 three point attempts in the Ulm win.
As a team, ratiopharm Ulm enjoyed a statistically strong season. Ulm ranked as the 3rd most efficient team in the Bundesliga grading out at 92.2 according to league formula finishing behind only ALBA Berlin and Ewe Baskets Oldenburg. Ulm finished 3rd in points per game averaging 78.8ppg with 2,678 total points. Ulm finished 5th in assists per game at 13 and was 5th in rebounding at 34.9rpg. Ulm ranked 3rd in offensive rebounds per game with 11.5orpg. Hitting 36.8% of their three point shots, ratiopharm Ulm finished 3rd in 3 point percentage and were 5th in total field goal percentage at 46.6% from the floor. The lone low ranking was team free throw percentage which saw Ulm finish 17th out of 18 teams at 66% from the foul line.
Individually, several Ulm players posted impressive statistical seasons. ratiopharm Ulm's Jeff Gibbs finished the regular season as the Bundesliga leading rebounder for the third straight season grabbing a league best 353 boards for a 10.4 average. Jeff had a league high 7.1 defensive rebounds per game and also picked up the most offensive boards per game at 3.3. Jeff also rated out as the most efficient player in the Bundesliga with an 18.94 mark according to Bundesliga formula. Jeff led the Bundesliga in Double-Doubles with 16, his third straight season at the top after leading 2007-2008 with 13 and finishing 2006-2007 tied with Rasko Katic with 15. ratiopharm floor general Dru Joyce finished as the Bundesliga assist leader averaging a league-best 4.6 assists per game. Dru finished second last season with a 4.4 average and is the second Ulm point guard in three seasons to lead the Bundesliga in assists (Austen Rowland in 2006-2007). ratiopharm Ulm sharpshooter Lee Humphrey finished the Bundesliga season tied for the league lead in three pointers made with 84 while teammate Dan Fitzgerald finished tied for 4th with 71 three point makes. Sean Finn finished 6th in field goal percentage shooting 61.9% from the floor this season. Keith Triplett finished the season ranked 5th in steals at 1.5 per game
ratiopharm Ulm celebrates their regular season finale win over Nordlingen and looks ahead to the playoffs next weekend against Telekom Baskets Bonn.
Ulm finished the regular season with a 21-13 record and enters the 2009 Bundesliga playoffs as the #5 seed facing #4 Telekom Baskets Bonn. Game 1 of the Best-of-Five series will tip off 6pm Sunday May 17th at Telekom Dome next weekend in Bonn. Making their first playoff appearance in 10 years, Saturday nights 91-63 regular season ending home win over Nordlingen was the perfect way for ratiopharm Ulm to celebrate their successful season and feel good going into the playoffs.
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MIKE T
