Bitter defeat for Bamberg

Brose Bamberg has started the new year 2020 with a bitter, but not undeserved defeat. The team of Head Coach Roel Moors lost by the narrow margin of 69:73 against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim, with whom it was tied on points in the table going into the encounter – after almost canceling out a 12-point deficit with just seconds remaining.

Crailsheim managed to avoid relegation last season with two victories on the last two game days, but in this campaign the Merlins are the league’s surprise team: They have chalked up eight wins out of 13 and are the second-best offensive team (with an average of 91.5 points before the encounter). Yet despite those statistics, Bamberg failed to show the requisite focus to begin with against the home side in the Arena Hohenlohe and trailed by 5:13 after five minutes. After that, Moors’ players tightened their grip at the back and came to terms better with the home side thanks to aggressive defending and, in particular, faster switching from attack to defense. The upshot: a run of 11 points without reply, including beautifully carved-out buckets by Tre McLean, and a 16:13 advantage after the first period. After the lead changed hands nine times, Crailsheim produced a 0:7 run midway through the second quarter to leave Bamberg trailing by 33:40 at half-time.

The home side even stretched its lead to 44:54 in the third quarter, since Paris Lee and Retin Obasohan had a very weak day. The two Bamberg playmakers only scored one free throw each, did not make any shots from the floor, managed just three assists apiece, and conceded four turnovers each. The two top scorers Tre McLean and Louis Olinde (11 points apiece) kept their side in the game, with the result that Bamberg was just 51:54 behind going into the final period. Yet instead of capitalizing on the four minutes Crailsheim went without scoring, the visitors could only cut the deficit to 53:54. Playmaker Retin Obasohan lost possession three times on four attacks and missed a lay-up. It was not until Crailsheim had pulled 56:68 ahead in the 37th minute that Bamberg turned on the heat again. The new signing Darion Atkins (9 points and 8 rebounds) started things rolling with two lay-ups to make it 60:68, after which Louis Olinde and Christian Sengfelder added one three each (66:69 with three minutes remaining). With 14 seconds left on the clock and the score standing at 67:70, Head Coach Moors put his trust in Tre McLean to drain a three and tie the encounter, but the American’s shot missed the mark and Crailsheim went down the other end to add a lay-up and seal victory.

Brose Bamberg’s Head Coach Roel Moors commented: “The only positive thing I can say about my team is that we had the chance to equalize at the end. And we didn’t deserve to be in that position. We weren’t ready defensively in the first half and conceded too many simple points. We also played too selfishly and had just nine assists by the break. We displayed respectable basketball in the second half and had our small chance. But all said and done, we lost deservedly.”

Bamberg now faces Gaziantep in the Champions League at home in the Brose Arena on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 (tip-off: 8 p.m.).

For more information visit www.brosebamberg.de, www.easycredit-bbl.de and http://www.championsleague.basketball/de.