TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
87 
74
Strong Finish Powers Ulm to win!
ratiopharm Ulm vs Paderborn
Friday October 20, 2006 7pm
Sportszentrum Kuhberg Ulm, Germany
ratiopharm Ulm pushed past fellow "Aufstieger" Paderborn with a strong finish keyed by quality contributions from their bench in the teams 87-74 home win at Sportszentrum Kuhberg Friday evening in Ulm. While Ulm G Jonathan Levy led the way with a brilliant 27 point, 7 rebound 3 assist night, it was unsung contributions from the "Bench Mob" --- bench players Maksym Shtein, Florian Mobius, Konrad Wysocki, Jan Sprunken, Christian Grosse and Martin Thuesen --- that made a difference in the end. Playing the entire 10 man active roster, ratiopharm Ulm's team effort spurred a 29-19 fourth quarter which included a game-breaking 11-0 run.
Ulm G Jonathan Levy ignited his team with a fantastic offensive 1st half scoring 19 points with 5 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
click here for Ulm vs Paderborn Photo Gallery!
After years of discussion as to which league is stronger --- the 2.Bundesliga South or 2.Bundesliga North --- following championship seasons which produced "Aufstieges" in both Ulm and Paderborn, the two teams finally met on the floor. And at opening tip, it was 3-1 Paderborn who asserted themselves early despite playing in enemy territory. Getting clutch one on one buckets, Paderborn hit tough shots, pushed the tempo and recorded defensive stops to open an early 14-6 lead just over the midway point of the first quarter. Ulm's Jeff Gibbs was whislted for two fast fouls landing him in early foul trouble. Maksym Shtein provided Ulm's offense with two inside scores, but turnovers and mental mistakes plagued Ulm's first quarter play. Working their way back, Ulm reversed the momentum and outscored Paderborn 13-7 to finish out the first ten minutes trailing by two 21-19.
Between quarters, Ulm aimed to improve their transition defense and also to finish off possessions with better one on one defense against the talented and athletic Paderborn players. Levy continued his terrific first half with a monster dunk down the lane and a cool three. The only piston firing in Ulm's offensive attack for the first half, Levy led Ulm with 19 points 5 boards in 18 minutes of action. Somehow, Ulm needed to find a way to survive the foul trouble hampering Captain Erege and Jeff Gibbs. Without starting C Bryan Lucas, Ulm already was looking for production from their bench. Now, hit with first half foul trouble, the "Bench Mob" would be relied on even more! Answering the call inside were Florian Mobius, Konrad Wysocki while perimeter players Martin Thuesen, Christian Grosse and Jan Sprunken stepped up on the wing.
Ulm's Christian Grosse (7) celebrates his buzzer-beating three that capped off Ulm's first half effort as Florian Mobius and fans react.
Wysocki provided his regular energy boosting Ulm's attack. Mobius filled effectively in for important minutes at both the 4 and 5 spots reminding everyone why he is known as "Mr Dependable". Meanwhile, G's Thuesen and Sprunken maintained their regular rolls within the rotation pitching in where possible. As both teams challenged each other with small runs and hardwork, Paderborn edged ahead fueled by a handful of small Ulmer miscues. Trailing by 4 with 41 seconds, ratiopharm Ulm PG Austen Rowland alertly organized a "2 for 1" attack with his team. Inbounding the ball and pushing the tempo, Rowland helped create a quick shot with perfect timing. Despite the miss, the tactics were executed effectively and when Paderborn missed their chance, Ulm re-gained possession with 13 seconds remaining. As Ulm executed their play, Christian Grosse popped open on the right wing. In rhythm, he eyed the hoop and fired --- but the home-grown young talent missed. Alertly F Florian Mobius tipped the loose ball back to Grosse for a second look. This time, Christian's shot was true. Grosse's buzzer-beating three brought the crowd to their feet as everyone celebrated the shot AND Grosse's first Bundesliga points! Trailing 40-39, Christian's shot had given Ulm a shot of momentum!
Photo from Thomas Fritsche!
Ulm C Maksym Shtein stepped into the starting lineup for injured C Bryan Lucas and played well finishing with 13 points 5 rebounds on 6 of 7 floor shooting.
At the half, Ulm could feel great about their position despite dealing with foul trouble to key players Emeka Erege and Jeff Gibbs. While Jonathan Levy's offensive explosion was exciting, the team needed more production from other players. Much credit for the close score could be attributed to Ulm's "Bench Mob". Finally, Ulm's struggles in the first 20 minutes should also be credited to the well-coached and fundamentally sound Paderborn team.
Ulm Captain Emeka Erege overcame early foul trouble to produce 7 points, 5 rebounds and outstanding D including drawing a critical late-game charge.
When the second half started, Sportszentrum Kuhberg fans were treated to an entertaining end to end competition. Paderborn guards Sergerio Gipson and Lamar Hurd scored skillful buckets going one on one creating and hitting shots against hardworking Ulm D. Meanwhile, Ulm PG Austen Rowland quarterbacked the teams attack. Jeff Gibbs made his presence felt in the paint and Erege's activity energized the Ulm wing. Paderborn's physical inside play toughened up the paint while Ulm's heart began to seep through into their effort on the defensive end. A late 8-0 run keyed by Maksym Shtein, Levy and two Gibbs baskets cracked open a window of opportunity for Ulm. As Paderborn tried to stop the run, Ulm held a 58-51 advantage on the scoreboard. Guided by direction from coach Doug Spradley, Paderborn fought back with big baskets of their own. Ulm outscored Paderborn 19-15 in the third earning a slim 58-55 lead after three.
Jan Sprunken was part of Ulm's "Bench Mob" effort in the win!
On the first possession of the fourth, Reggie Golson popped free for a three off of excellent Paderborn screening action. Golson's trifecta trimmed the Ulm lead. Soon, Paderborn had re-asserted themselves atop the scoreboard using a second Golson three to claim their 63-61 lead. The battle between north and south, the duel between the two 2.Bundesliga champions was turning out to be as exciting as basketball fans could have hoped for. With 7 minutes to play, teams huddled for a timeout and it remained anybody's ballgame.
ROWL-Z ROYCE!
Ulm PG Austen Rowland was excellent in crunch time finishing with 12 points 7 assists and 1 turnover.
And when play resumed, Ulm's "Bench Mob" resurfaced. Playing ten men against the thin 7 man Paderborn rotation became a factor. Switching Ulm defense added in. Austen Rowland's drive and determination played a part. And of course, the 6th man of Sportszentrum Kuhberg kicked in. Over the next 4 minutes of action, ratiopharm Ulm ran off 11 unaswered points to finally gain command of the game. Konrad Wysocki scored two baskets, Levy added another and Shtein sweeped through the lane for a smooth right handed hook. But perhaps the biggest baskets came from point guard Austen Rowland who hit three key second half three's. At the final buzzer, Sportszentrum Kuhberg could celebrate a solid team win keyed by excellent effort from unsung players who combined to overcome foul trouble/absence of starters to earn a nice win.
For the game Ulm shot 52% from the floor and outrebounded Paderborn 38-27 while distributing 18 assists. Topscorer Jonathan Levy went for 27 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists while Jeff Gibbs added 14 points to the win. Maksym Shtein filled in for injured starter Bryan Lucas with 13 points on 6 of 7 shooting while adding 5 rebounds and point guard Austen Rowland dropped 12 points while dishing 7 assists to only 1 turnover. Big man Jordan Collins and swing man Reggie Golson each scored 16 points apiece for Paderborn.
With Friday's strong "Team" win, Ulm looks ahead to Sunday's road game against SellbyTel Baskets Nurnberg at Nurnberg Arena.
Friday's victory improves ratiopharm Ulm to 2-3 on the young season while Paderborn slips to 3-2. Both teams return to action Sunday when ratiopharm Ulm visits SellbyTel Baskets Nurnberg for a 5pm tip while Paderborn returns home for a game against Oldenburg.
Link to Box Score Game Day 5 Ulm 87 Paderborn 74
Link to ratiopharm Ulm's season stats from www.basketball-bundesliga.de
Follow all the fastbreaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
