Brose Bamberg has captured its second victory in the Basketball Champions League

The team of Head Coach Ainars Bagatskis defeated Lietkabelis 82:77 at home after recovering from five points down going into the final period thanks to top scorer Tyrese Rice (23 points) and Augustine Rubit (19).

Bamberg’s second win means it has moved up into fourth in Group C and so into a qualification berth for the round of sixteen. Ainars Bagatskis’ injury worries did not decrease before the game against Lietkabelis: Nikos Zisis and Bryce Taylor trained together while the rest of the team warmed up, but neither was on the team roster sheet. Patrick Heckmann will still be out for a few weeks; in addition, Arnoldas Kulboka twisted his ankle in the final training session and was not able to play. At least Elias Harris was back again after his groin injury – and the center was one of the best players on court, not least on account of his ten points: In particular in the final period, Harris prevented the Lithuanian team from scoring many points with his commitment and presence in defense and also made the decisive steal with seconds remaining. Playmaker Daniel Schmidt also produced a strong display. Like Harris, he ended up with ten points, draining all his shots, defending tenaciously and making four assists – good that his contract has been extended to the end of the season. The lead changed hands eleven times in the evenly balanced first half: Bamberg was not able to stretch its 5:0 lead any further, but – after trailing 24:28 – was able to strike back and to go narrowly ahead at half-time thanks to ten points by Rubit (43:42). However, Bagatskis’ players were not close enough to their opponents in defense and so the visitors were able to drain eight of their thirteen buckets from downtown by the end of the third period and so move 57:62 in front going into the final quarter.

Yet it was then that Bamberg tamed the visitors, at times driving quickly to the basket, such as through the youngster Louis Olinde, who made the 5,800 fans erupt with a thunderous slam-dunk past two opposing players, or with threes like the one from Daniel Schmidt to tie the score at 65:65. Playmaker Tyrese Rice produced a perfect performance in the final ten minutes: He chalked up nine of his total haul of 23 points in the final period, including a key bucket from outside to put his team 70:69 ahead and a great lay-up to make it 78:76. He also often managed to get a finger to shots by the Lithuanian club and, in the final seconds, tipped the ball away from Mindaugas Kupšas from behind to enable Elias Harris to make an important steal. Instead of Lietkabelis leading with 17 seconds left on the clock, Bamberg was able to make it 79:76, after which Augustine Rubit sealed victory with three free throws.

Ainars Bagatskis commented: “It was a tough game, also because Kulboka injured himself in the final training session. But you can’t moan and groan about problems in sport. They’re a chance for other players to show what they can do. And everyone did a good job. We were focused on the things we ourselves can influence. We did that. We were also physical and aggressive. We always knew what we had to do and always stayed calm. Even when we were trailing by five points in the final period, we waited for our opportunity and seized it.”