After the opening defeat against ratiopharm Ulm in the first game of the final series of the basketball league, Telekom Baskets Bonn didn’t give the sparrows a chance in the second game.
Bonn won on Sunday evening with 104:75 (45:29) and equalized in the “Best of five” series to 1:1. Three wins are necessary for the championship title. After the first two games in Bonn, games three (Wednesday/8:30 p.m.) and four will take place in Ulm. Ulm conceded the first away defeat of the current playoffs,
Coach Tuomas Iisalo’s team showed a completely different face than in game one on Friday: Bonn defended extremely well and scored well above average. Ulm found his game only intermittent and had almost nothing left to oppose the Baskets from the middle of the second quarter. The best thrower at Bonn was Finn Delany with 23 points, Karim Jallow came for Ulm with 17.
“It’s a very important win. Today we showed our true colors. We now want to do everything we can for our dream,” said Iisalo on “MagentaSport”. “It wasn’t a perfect game, we still have work to do.”
Bonn enters with great self-consciousness on
Both teams started fast in the sold-out hall with 6,000 spectators, the baskets immediately found their offensive rhythm. Delany scored Bonn’s first three points from the right corner, after a 7-0 run the home side were leading 12-7. The hit rate of the baskets from the field was significantly better in the first quarter (50 percent) than in game one, the good start gave a lot of self-confidence. After two free throws by playmaker TJ Shorts II, Bonn had a double-digit lead for the first time (24:14) and took the ten-point lead into the second quarter (26:16).
After almost two minutes without a point in the second period and an unsportsmanlike foul by Shorts, Jallow brought Ulm back on track with seven points in a row (26:23). Robin Christen extended the guests’ run to ten points (26:26) before Jeremy Morgan hit Bonn’s first shot after five minutes in the second quarter.
Then there were some turnovers on both sides and many interruptions. Bitter for the Baskets: Javontae Hawkins fell unhappily on his head and had to be treated first. In the final minutes of the first half, however, Bonn turned up the heat and continued to impress Ulm with an aggressive defense. The guests didn’t do much together on the offensive, Bonn also dominated the baskets (25:14 rebounds). Despite the equalizer in Ulm in the meantime, the Baskets were leading by 16 points (45:29) at half-time.
bowl disqualified, Bonn just keeps going
Even after the break, the Bonners showed a lot of enthusiasm and speed, Ulm continued to look for a remedy against the strong offensive. The lead quickly grew to more than 20 points (54:32). After a dispute between Ulm’s Bruno Caboclo and Michael Kessens, the teams formed a “pack” behind the basket, and Kessens was ruled a disqualifying foul for bumping.
The baskets couldn’t be disturbed, Tyson Ward with a lay-up and Delany with a three-pointer increased to 59:32. Bonn cracked the mark of 30 points with Herrera after 27 minutes of play (69:38). Ulm lacked dynamism, ideas and efficiency: Given the score of 75:44 at the end of the third quarter, the game was over. In the last quarter, the Baskets confidently managed their lead, Ulm tried to limit the damage.
Ulm and Bonn have only been runners-up so far
The Baskets had lost the first final comparison with Ulm on Friday 73:79. As well as Bonn and Ulm have never been German champions: The Baskets are five-time runners-up, Ulm three times. Since 2010, Bamberg, Munich or Berlin have always won the title.
By winning the Champions League in May, the Baskets had celebrated their greatest success in the club’s history. No German club has ever achieved a double of a national championship and an international title.
