Basketball Bundesliga team ratiopharm Ulm is on course for the final round of the Eurocup. There was a clear 114 to 91 home win against Wolves Vilnius on Wednesday evening.
Before the game against Wolves there was talk of a duel on equal terms. In the end, the 114 to 91 home win was a real statement. The Bundesliga club is increasingly moving into the ranks of title candidates in the Eurocup.
“Full throttle basketball” from the start
It takes less than two minutes in the Neu-Ulm Arena for Ulm’s coach Ty Harrelson to clench his “Becker fist” for the first time. Until then, his players have made a spectacular start to this Eurocup game. Above all Marcio Santos and Karim Jallow. They take a quick 9:4 lead. And because the Ulm team were good in defense right from the start and scored with Saraf and Jessup up front, the guests had to take the first time out when the score was 16:6. Marcio Santos is obviously really keen. The Brazilian has ten points (!) in his account after just over five minutes. Like last time in Badalona, Ulm is also in “Eurocup full throttle mode” this evening. Ulm leads 32 to 16 after the first quarter.
Ulm cannot be stopped
The Ulm offensive roller also rolled in the second quarter. Guests have no access to Ty Harrelson’s team at all. They also look extremely unhappy with an unsportsmanlike foul against Saraf and a foul on Plummer’s three-point throw. What makes Ulm strong in this first half are the players who come into the game from the bench. They account for almost half of Ulm’s points. At the end of the second quarter, the home team’s concentration waned somewhat, but Ulm’s lead at the break was still clear (56:45).
Strong as a bear after the shaking phase
Vilnius comes out of the locker room physically, Ulm looks a bit counted out. The guests managed to bring the deficit back to single digits. Then it’s an actually impossible block from Justinian Jessup that makes the 2,600 spectators in the arena loud again. The American spies a ball from the guests from the ring, which usually means secure points. Shortly afterwards, Jessup’s flash pass to Roby is also a move for the gallery. Great how Ulm mastered the critical phase at the beginning of the second half and stabilized their own lead again until the end of the quarter. Nelson Weidemann sinks a three-pointer from far out on the half-time siren. With a standing ovation, the fans farewell their team in the last quarter break (88:62).
Confident in the final quarter too
Ulm also got through the last quarter without any problems. The last ten minutes are a bit of a show. Ulm is a bit too big for the guests from Lithuania this evening. Six Ulm players scored double figures. Marcio Santos is the top scorer with 20 points. In this form, ratiopharm Ulm can be counted among the extended circle of favorites. The Ulm team will be challenged again next Monday in the Basketball Bundesliga. They then play for the Skyliners Frankfurt.
Broadcast on Thursday, December 19, 2024, 6:30 a.m., SWR4 BW Studio Ulm
