80:79! Alba wins the prestige duel at Bayern

Albas Ben Lammers stretches out and climbs up to the basket

Albas Ben Lammers stretches out and climbs up to the basket Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Kolbert-Pre

By Nicolas Sowa

Alba remains on the upswing and, thanks to strong nerves, has won the chasing duel against constant rival Bayern Munich.

On Sunday evening, the Berliners won the prestige duel against FC Bayern Munich with 80:79 (44:44). Alba remains second in the table. The best Berlin throwers were Johannes Thiemann with 14 and Jaleen Smith with 13 points.

Tough fight for the ball: Alba's Johannes Thiemann (left) and Bayern's Elias Harris

Tough fight for the ball: Alba’s Johannes Thiemann (left) and Bayern’s Elias Harris Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Kolbert-Pre

The Berliners initially found it difficult to get into the game. Many throws were missed and so the deficit was already double digits after only four and a half minutes (9:19). Coach Israel Gonzalez responded with the first time-out, and that seemed like a wake-up call. The ball ran much better for the defending champion and the shot rate also increased.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Alba equalized again to 30:30. Now the duel was completely balanced, Bayern were still mostly just in the lead, but the Berliners stayed close and equalized again and again before the change of sides.

In the third quarter, the Berliners were even able to take the lead for the first time and break away slightly by five points (64:59). But the Bavarians punished every mistake made by the guests and it remained tight until the end.

The decision was only made 11.2 seconds before the end when Thiemann converted a free throw into victory. Ben Lammers was able to stop Bayern’s last attack under the basket.

Subjects:

FC Bayern Munich Jaleen Smith Johannes Thiemann

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