TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
89 
73
POWER GAME!
Power forward Jeff Gibbs spearheded the offensive attack pounding his way to 23 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists for ratiopharm Ulm in their 89-73 road win at Nurnberg Arena Sunday. Key to the win, ratiopharm Ulm outscored Nurnberg 46-31 in the second half including a seperating run opening the third quarter. C Maksym Shtein complemented Gibbs' play in the paint with a strong 18 point effort as ratiopharm Ulm shot 57% from the floor for the game and outrebounded Nurnberg 38-32 in the win. Following up Friday's home win over Paderborn with their first road victory of the Bundesliga season, ratiopharm Ulm received excellent contributions from bench players once again in Nurnberg. Sweeping the weekend wins improved ratiopharm Ulm to 3-3. Nurnberg remains winless at 0-6.
Ulm's Jeff Gibbs powered his way to an impressive 23 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists in Sunday's 89-73 win over Nurnberg at Nurnberg Arena.
On a beautiful October German Sunday afternoon, Ulm traveled up the A7 and right across the A6 just under 3 hours to the historical city of Nurnberg. Indeed, the history on the basketball floor between ratiopharm and Nurnberg was evident in the intensity within Nurnberg Arena as both teams prepared for their initial Bundesliga clash. Hungry for their first win of the season, Nurnberg won the jump ball and immediately attacked the Ulm basket drawing a foul on Austen Rowland seconds into the game. Nurnberg's energy and effort on their home court charged them to an early lead. Ulm seemed unsettled in the opening moments suffering from several turnovers, missed shots and mistakes. Ulm players were a step slow to make plays on both ends and Nurnberg opened an 8 point lead behind Michael Lake and Cory Rouse. Ulm struggled to get defensive stops in the early going against the outstanding energy level of the hungry Nurnberg players who pushed the tempo, penetrated aggressively and were physical defensively.
Ulm C Maksym Shtein hit 8 of 10 shots for 18 points in Sunday's win. Shtein was excellent this weekend filling in for injured starter Bryan Lucas.
Excellent teamwork between post players Jeff Gibbs and Maksym Shtein kept Ulm in the game. Ulm effectively attacked the paint as they played their way back into the game cutting into the deficit. Nurnberg forward Ryan DeMichael scored on a three and followed with an offensive rebound put back. Point guard Dwayne Lee directed the Nurnberg attack as they dictated play for most of the first half. After trailing 26-22 at the end of the first quarter, ratiopharm Ulm began to settle down and execute. Again, post players Gibbs and Shtein were key. Ulm's bench, which contributed so effectively in Friday's win over Paderborn, once again became a factor. Guards Martin Thuesen and Jan Sprunken spelled starters Austen Rowland and Jonathan Levy and the Ulm comeback kept mounting. Midway through the second quarter, Ulm playmaker Austen Rowland was whistled for his second foul. In an interesting move, Ulm's young talent Christian Grosse was inserted into the lineup and the sharpshooter responded. Playing 4 important minutes to finish the first half, Grosse defended and executed well including an excellent post feed that led to a Gibbs three point play. Crawling back into the game, trailing 42-41, Ulm had the ball with 48 seconds to play. Opting for a "2 for 1" attack, Ulm players executed effectively but came up empty. Nurnberg held the ball with just over 35 seconds remaining. Ulm's defense came up with a solid stop and Martin Thuesen advanced the ball into the offensive frontcourt with 15 seconds remaining. Clock ticking down, Ulm moved the ball in an attempt to get organized quickly. Swinging the ball, Ulm ran a post touch play that usually needs most of the shot clock to complete. Operating at high-speed, Ulm fastforwarded their movement and screening. Finally, with 7 seconds left in the first half, Maksym Shtein slipped free off a diagonal screen to the block. Gibbs zipped a beautiful bounce pass to Shtein who spun middle and finished a running left hand hook shot to give Ulm their first lead of the game at 43-42 with one second left in the half.
Ulm PG Austen Rowland led a second half surge with playmaking and point production.
For ratiopharm Ulm, Sunday's halftime came at the perfect time. Needing time to discuss several tactical issues, Ulm re-focused their attack on two main points and got onto the same page in the lockerroom. Despite several early mistakes and lack of consistent defensive stops, Ulm led at the half mostly due to their attacking inside-out teamwork-based offensive approach. The hungry Nurnberg team would be difficult to deal with in the second half so Ulm players reminded one another to be ready.
Ulm Captain Emeka Erege continues to inspire teammates with outstanding defensive effort and attacking offense.
And ready they were. Consecutive defensive stops layed the foundation for their run. Ulm finally established offense from their defense and scored several transition buckets. A Maksym Shtein three followed by an Emeka Erege layup and a Jonathan Levy basket built tremendous momentum. Ulm's lead grew to 8, 9 and ten. Konrad Wysocki emerged as a game-breaker with excellent defense, rebounding and transition play off the Ulm bench in the second half. While Shtein, Wysocki and teammates played well, the most effective Ulmer was clearly Jeff Gibbs who had posted 21 points, 12 boards and all 4 of his assists after three. The 19-14 third quarter powered Ulm forward to a 62-56 advantage heading into the 4th.
Ulm's Jonathan Levy overcame a slow start to make clutch plays at important moments in the second half.
Friday was Jonathan Levy's night, but on Sunday, the flow of the game went in another direction. A slow start, terrific Nurnberg defense and Ulm's offensive attack limited Levy's looks. It was during the fourth quarter that Levy made his presence felt. When his team needed him the most, the patient Levy made several important plays including a crafty pass to Wysocki setting up an AND1 3pt play, sinking two clutch free throws and excellent defense. Ulm's defensive intensity sparked an impressive 27-17 fourth quarter which sealed the game. Ulm's bench players rotated freely over the last 3 minutes of action and everyone in orange and black could enjoy the evening. Florian Mobius put the finishing touches on the win with a 3 point shot from the top of the key in the last minute. Aside from Gibbs and Shtein, Emeka Erege (10 points 5 rebounds) and Konrad Wysocki (12 points 4 boards) were in quality form for Ulm. As a team Ulm hit 29 of 44 shots in the paint and 57% from the floor overall.
Konrad Wysocki congratulates and slaps five with Ulm fans after the win.
As the final buzzer sounded on ratiopharm Ulm's 89-73 victory, the results of the weekend could sink in. A sweep of winning both games improved ratiopharm Ulm to 3-3 on the young Bundesliga season, an excellent start for an "Aufstieger". Without question, the challenging opening schedule was positive for Ulm who remain focused on building and developing their team to its potential!
Click here for complete Ulm @ Nurnberg Box Score
ULMER AFFE!
The Ulm Ape was with the team post-game and enjoyed a meal at Burger King!
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GO ULM!
MIKE T
