HEROES OF TOMORROW win nail-biter against Telekom Baskets Bonn by 82:79

medi Bayreuth came out top in a real nail-biter against Telekom Baskets Bonn in the Oberfrankenhalle on Sunday evening. In front of a sold-out crowd, the team of Head Coach Raoul Korner managed to run out victorious by the narrow margin of 82:79 (39:39) and so capture its third win of the season.

The lead changed hands a total of 14 times between the two sides, before James Robinson and Andreas Seiferth clinched victory for medi Bayreuth with six free throws in the last two minutes.

Both teams were well aware of how important the game was and so got off to a pretty nervous start. It was not until the third minute that Reid Travis put the first points on the board. Bayreuth’s center again got into his stride from the outset, had notched up ten points by the end of the period and so helped his team move slowly into top gear. However, the second period was evenly poised and it took until the third quarter for the HEROES OF TOMORROW to open up a gap over the club from the Rhineland for the first time. Lukas Meisner contributed eight points in that phase and so played a key part in enabling medi Bayreuth to open up a clear 58:47 lead in the 28th minute. Yet Bonn managed to stay in contention thanks to its point guard Branden Frazier. Whereas the American had failed to score before the break, he suddenly turned on the heat and added 13 points in a row to close the deficit to six.

The HEROES OF TOMORROW’s lead dwindled further and then it was once again Frazier who drained a bucket from beyond the arc to recapture the lead for Bonn (73:72 in the 36th minute). However, medi struck back to move ahead again by 76:75 in the 38th minute. It was once more Branden Frazier who successfully completed a drive to the basket with just over 13 seconds to go and put his side back in front. Bonn decided to commit a foul and sent James Robinson to the line – and he showed nerves of steel to bury both free throws and recapture the advantage for his team. Martin Breunig then had less luck on the subsequent attack: His shot missed the mark and the rebound was snapped up by Andreas Seiferth, who was fouled right away and so stepped up to the line again with 1.3 seconds left on the clock. After making the first free throw, he actually only wanted to deliberately hit the hoop with the second, but it also dropped and so medi led by three points. That meant that Bonn, after calling a timeout, had the chance to send the encounter into overtime. Of course, the man to do that for the Telekom Baskets was Branden Frazier, but the American’s shot missed and so medi Bayreuth was able to celebrate its second home win in succession.

Raoul Korner, Head Coach of medi Bayreuth, commented: “You saw what a tight fight that was. I believe that if we played ten times against each other, one team would win five and the other five. I’m very happy that it was our turn today. We had problems finding our shooting form in the first half, also due to the fact that Bonn defended very well. The few open shots we had didn’t drop, so it was all the more important to make fewer mistakes in defense, which we managed to do by and large. Nevertheless, we conceded an exceptionally large number of turnovers up to the third period. We succeeded better in keeping hold of the ball in the final quarter. In the third period, we managed to produce a run that, in hindsight, probably decided the game. Because in the end we needed every single point to get across the line. Congratulations to my team – and we need to train how to miss free throws!”

The HEROES OF TOMORROW are back on the plane on Tuesday, when they head for the warm island of Cyprus. However, a vacation does not await the team of Head Coach Raoul Korner, but the final game in the first group stage of the FIBA Europe Cup. The game there against APOEL Nicosia on Wednesday tips off at 6 p.m. (German time).

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