Brose Bamberg trounces Göttingen thanks to improved defending

A successful “home premiere” for Head Coach Federico Perego: The Italian has now been in charge on the sideline for three weeks – and his stamp was more than clear in the comfortable 100:77 win over BG Göttingen in the first home game in the German league under his leadership (all his home games before that were either in the domestic cup or the Champions League). His team’s defense improved more and more in the course of the encounter and its offensive systems grew more and more varied, with the result that the almost 6,000 fans left the Brose Arena satisfied in every respect.

A slightly bitter pill before the game commenced: Center Cliff Alexander, who has been so eminently important (especially under the basket) and has turned in a strong performance in the past weeks, was suspended for the game by Federico Perego. “We demand professional conduct from the players. That’s part of their job. There are rules they have to stick to. I believe Cliff has learned his lesson,” said Perego. Alexander was replaced in the rotation by the youngster and three-point specialist Arnaldas Kulboka. Although the Lithuanian player still has quite a bit to learn in the defensive department, in offense the 21-year-old was able to emerge from his lows of the past weeks. Although his first two shots from outside after the break missed their mark, the youngster drained his four other attempts to chalk up a respectable haul of 12 points.

27, 20, 19 and 11 – those were the magical numbers in defense for Bamberg: The number of points it conceded against Göttingen in each period. And you could literally see that the more secure and stable Perego’s team was at the back, the easier it found it to string together quick combinations in offense and carve out points beautifully. After a good start with two buckets from outside by Mo Stuckey and Tyrese Rice to go 8:3 ahead, Bamberg missed too many shots in offense and slipped 10:19 behind as Göttingen gave a hint of the potential it showed in its shock win over Alba Berlin. Yet the visitors were not able to surprise Bamberg for long: A three by Ricky Hickman gave the home side a big boost of energy. Bamberg closed the deficit to two points by the end of the period (25:27) and then everything went like clockwork for it in offense in the second quarter. Ricky Hickman and Tyrese Rice (17 points) buried four buckets from downtown, while Augustine Rubit was hard to stop below the basket thanks to his agility and added one lay-up after the other. Bamberg notched up 31 points in the second period to lead 56:47 at the break in a great display of basketball.

The Brose team did not let the lead slip from its grasp in the second half, either. Bamberg finally defended tightly and so frequently forced Göttingen to take last-ditch shots. The club from Lower Saxony went a whole five minutes without scoring from the floor. During that time, Bamberg produced a 14:1 run thanks to lay-ups by top scorer Ricky Hickman (22 points), the strong Augustine Rubit (18) and Bryce Taylor (6) to pull 87:67 ahead and decide the encounter. Patrick Heckmann had the honor of bringing up the hundred points: The 26-year-old crowned his outstanding display with a free throw. Seven points, seven rebounds and six assists were more than any other playmaker – Heckmann is coming into his own under the new Head Coach.

Federico Perego commented: “We were very focused because we knew Göttingen can score points and has talent. We had great problems in defense in the first half – in one-on-one and in closing out their shooters. We then showed greater commitment and improved in the second half. I very much liked how we moved the ball. The team as a whole made 26 assists and Heckmann, who plays as a power forward, made six of them alone.”