Basketball Bundesliga: Bayreuth starts the new year with an away win in Würzburg

What a Franconian derby to start the year 2022, because at first it even seemed as if the game between s.Oliver Würzburg and medi bayreuth would not be able to take place due to several positive Corona quick tests on the part of the Lower Franconians. However, just under an hour before the start of the game, it was clear that both teams, which were severely weakened in terms of personnel, would be competing against each other.

The beginning of the Frankenderby belonged to the hosts. Through good ball movement and several offensive rebounds, the Würzburg team secured the first three points of the game. But the Bayreuth team did not need long to get into the game. At 5:5, a basket by Martynas Sajus quickly restored the balance. From then on, the game was evenly matched, with neither team able to gain an advantage. At the end of the quarter, medi led by a narrow margin of 23:21.

After the quarter break, medi was initially in control. After five minutes played in the second quarter, Würzburg had scored only 4 points. This prompted Assistant Coach Steven Key to call a timeout, but it did not have the desired effect. Head Coach Raoul Korner's team pulled away until 41:25 (16th). However, when Philip Jalalpoor had to leave the floor due to injury in the 17th minute of play, medi's game experienced a break. The Würzburg team came back point by point, went on a 10:0 run and acted strongly on defense. The teams went into the dressing room with a narrow 41:35 lead.

After the change of ends, it remained a game of equals. Both teams did not give each other anything and they fought hard. Consequently, neither team managed to initiate a run and get the momentum on their side. With a 66:60 lead, the last ten minutes of the game began.

And they were really a tough one. Five minutes before the end of the game, the hosts managed to tie the game again at 71:71. From then on, it was a close and exciting Franconian derby, in which the Residenzstädter even took the lead at 78:77 a good three minutes before the final whistle, thanks to a three-pointer by Luciano Parodi. After several missed opportunities on both sides, it was Sacar Anim who now took control of the game. As a result of a missed three-pointer by Marcus Thornton, he was successful on the offensive rebound and was even fouled in the process, giving Bayreuth an 83-80 lead with 1:32 minutes to go. On the other side, Würzburg missed the answer and it was Sacar Anim again who sank the decisive three-pointer (86:80). The home side found no answer in the remaining time of the game and so it was up to top scorer Terry Allen to make the 88:80 final score with the last attack.

"It's a very important win for us under all the circumstances. It was not sure until an hour before the start of the game whether it would be played at all. From that point of view, the only thing that matters now is that we won the game. Our personnel situation is not getting any easier, but today we once again found a way to win the game," Head Coach Raoul Korner said after the game.

After the victory in the Franconian derby, medi bayreuth will already continue in the Basketball Bundesliga next Wednesday. The BBL game against BG Göttingen, which was postponed due to the qualification for the FIBA Europe Cup, will be made up. Jump against the violets is on Wednesday at 19:00 clock in the Oberfrankenhalle.

Source: www.medi-bayreuth.de