Medi Bayreuth reaches the group stage of the Champions League

It was hard work, but medi Bayreuth ultimately managed to advance to the group stage of the Basketball Champions League. After tying the first leg 73:73 on the road at Polish cup winners Polski Cukier Toruń, the team of Head Coach Raoul Korner won the return game in front of 2,589 spectators in Bayreuth’s Oberfrankenhalle on Thursday evening by 86:73 (40:41).

Bayreuth was thus able to defeat the Polish representative by 159:146 on aggregate and so capture the vacant spot in Champions League Group D.

Right from the tip-off, both teams left no one in any doubt that they wanted to advance to the group stage of the Champions League. An intense and exciting game ensued in which the visitors showed the better nerves to begin with. Toruń was able to build an eight-point lead at one stage, mainly thanks to Aaron Cel. However, medi got into the game better midway through the period and, led by a magnificent Adonis Thomas, snatched the lead by its end.

The second quarter saw a game of runs from both sides and the lead changing hands several times. Whereas it was initially Bayreuth who seemed to open up a slight gap, Toruń struck back and pulled away again. Yet medi Bayreuth refused to be perturbed and managed to almost close the gap by half-time.

The encounter remained evenly poised after the break. Neither side was able to create any crucial advantage. However, there were indications that medi Bayreuth was gaining the upper hand. Thanks to medi’s deeper bench and the fact that Andreas Seiferth and Gregor Hrovat now put their stamp on the game, as well as the below-average shooting percentage by the Polish club, the home side took a five-point lead after 30 minutes.

medi Bayreuth was able to capitalize on those advantages more and more in the deciding period. Urged on by captain Bastian Doreth, who was in strong shooting form (3 out of 3 buckets from downtown), medi kept on stretching its lead. Hassan Martin was now able to put his mark on the encounter in his first game following his return from injury. Lukas Meisner with two important steals and an enormously effective Kassius Robertson also made a key contribution to the victory. medi Bayreuth ultimately ran out convincing winners by 86:73 to advance to the group stage of the Champions League.

Source: www.medi-bayreuth.de