Basketball: Great display of energy ensures BBC's victory against Dresden

BBC Bayreuth turned its game in the BARMER 2nd German Basketball League Pro A against the previously unbeaten Dresden Titans (six games in a row) around with a great display of energy in the second half to win by 86:80 tonight.

The BBC started against the ninth-placed team from Saxony with Moritz Plescher, Lenny Liedtke, Selim Fofana, Aaron Carver and Shane Gatling. Team captain Philip Jalalpoor was back after his injury. Top scorer Esa Ahmad, Marios Giotis, Besnik Bekteshi and Renke Hillmer were still missing.

Dresden began with a 4:0 lead, before Selim Fofana cut the deficit to 3:4 with the BBC's first three. Lenny Liedtke then put Bayreuth 8:6 in front for the first time with a bucket from beyond the arc and stretched the gap to 11:6 shortly afterwards with another three. Dresden produced a 9:0 run midway through the first period and the Titans were now 19:14 in front and so had the momentum on their side. Marco Rahn reduced the deficit again, but Grayson Murphy drained a three at the buzzer to make it 22:17 for the visitors at the end of the quarter.

Dresden defended well and repeatedly forced the BBC to take emergency shots. Bayreuth found it difficult to operate under the basket and so often had to rely on the accuracy of its threes. The BBC's shooting percentage from beyond the arc was just 30 percent in the first half. The Titans displayed more pace and energy in the first period, which is why Dresden went in at half-time with a 39:31 lead.

Dresden initially extended its lead to 44:33 at the start of the third period. However, Bayreuth produced a strong spell to cut the deficit to 40:45 after 25 minutes. Selim Fofana cut the deficit to 47:50 with a three before the end of the period, after which Philip Jalalpoor put the BBC 53:52 in front again for the first time.

Selim Fofana put an exclamation mark on the BBC's hopes with a slam-dunk to make it 61:58 in front of 2,213 spectators. Bayreuth had turned the game around impressively and Dresden had completely lost the thread. The score was 80:69 with just under one-and-a-half minutes remaining. Dresden lost possession and then committed a foul, resulting in three free throws. Two of them were converted - the BBC now only led 81:78. Selim Fofana then quickly stretched the gap to 83:78, but Bayreuth made it 83:80 with twelve seconds remaining after Dresden scored two free throws. Shane Gatling stretched the gap to 85:80 from the foul line with nine seconds remaining, after which Lenny Liedtke was fouled and made the final free throw to make it 86:80.

Bayreuth's victory was well deserved thanks to its display of energy and will in the second half. Bayreuth was 40:32 ahead in the rebounds statistic at the end. Bayreuth thus at least theoretically keeps its chances of qualifying for the playoffs open four games before the end of the main round. Bayreuth, in tenth place in the table after 30 games, now has 28 points and is four points or two wins behind eighth place, which qualifies for the playoffs. The BBC welcomes the Polar Bears from Bremerhaven for its next home game next Sunday, April 7, 2020.