Basketball: The worst home game of the season so far

That was the weakest home game of the season so far: BBC Bayreuth lost 76:92 in the BARMER 2nd German Basketball League Pro A at the start of the second half of the season against Artland Dragons, who by no means gave the impression of being a relegation candidate.

BBC Bayreuth started with Philip Jalalpoor, Marco Rahn, Selim Fofana, Aaron Carver and Esa Ahmad against Quakenbrück, who are bottom of the table. Marios Giotis and Moritz Plescher were missing through injury, which significantly shortened the German rotation.

The BBC got off to a false start. The visitors were 12:0 ahead and it was not until almost four minutes had elapsed that Marco Rahn scored Bayreuth's first points with two free throws. The BBC then reduced the deficit to 6:12, but the Dragons were 19:9 ahead after six minutes. Bayreuth's Head Coach Mladen Driencic saw the need to talk and called a timeout. However, the visitors extended their lead to 24:11. Bayreuth conceded too many turnovers and found it difficult to get into the game. The Artland Dragons led 32:17 after ten minutes; Nikolaos Chouchoumis drained a three at the buzzer and was fouled on the shot to make it a four-point game. Bayreuth was not able to get a grip on the visitors' offence and trailed by a clear margin in terms of rebounds with 3:12 in the first quarter.

The Artland Dragons continued to run absolutely hot and led 40:21 after twelve minutes. Esa Ahmad then brought the BBC a little closer midway through the second quarter with his bucket to make it 29:43. However, Quakenbrück remained clever and disciplined. The team scored evenly, ran the ball and was difficult to predict. After a lay-up by Aaron Carver to make it 35:45, the deficit was "only" ten points again. Bayreuth was now able to defend the visitors' pick-and-roll a little better, stepped up its intensity and managed to close the gap to 45:51 by half-time.

The Dragons got off to a good start to the second half and stretched their lead to 58:49 midway through the third period. Bayreuth did not get any closer, on the contrary: The Dragons were back in front by double digits at 63:52 with three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the quarter, thanks to a high three-point percentage. An unsporting foul against Selim Fofana made the BBC's situation even more difficult. Quakenbrück was ultimately 73:58 in front after 30 minutes.

Joanic Grüttner Bacoul was forced to retire injured for the Dragons with seven minutes remaining. Aaron Carver reduced the deficit to 67:77 and the BBC was back within striking distance. The Dragons were 81:71 ahead with just under five minutes remaining when Selim Fofana was forced to retire injured. Marco Rahn also conceded an unsporting foul. The club from Lower Saxony went 88:71 in front with two-and-a-half minutes to go before the final buzzer. That sealed the game and Bayreuth appeared frustrated by its weak performance. The hoped-for surge towards the playoffs at the start of the second half failed to materialize. After the 76:92 defeat, Bayreuth now has nine wins and nine defeats on its tally after 18 games and remains in no man's land in the table.

Bayreuth's main round continues Saturday, 27 January, against JobStairsGIESSEN 46ers in Gießen. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.