Thanks to a strong last quarter, the Baskets Bonn beat JDA Dijon in the Basketball Champions League and took a big step towards the quarterfinals.
On Wednesday (February 7th, 2024) Telekom sat down Baskets Bonn in a sometimes grueling duel with JDA Dijon with 72:62 (14:13, 18:19, 15:18, 25:12). With the third win in the third game of the playoff round basketball-Champions League (BCL), Bonn now has a very good chance of reaching the quarter-finals. The best throwers for the defending champions from the Rhineland were Chris Sengfelder (13 points), Brian Fobbs (twelve) and Till Pape (ten).
Bonn and Dijon with a weak three-way quota
The Baskets got off to a good start, although it became clear early on that this game would be a test of nerves for Bonn against the defensively strong and uncomfortable French. Although the first quarter was close to the Rhinelanders, the shooting rate from outside on both sides left a lot to be desired.
Not a single three-pointer in the first quarter found its way into the basket; the baskets scored six passes. Bonn also had problems with the rebound, Dijon presented themselves physically strong.
Two basket faces in the second quarter
The move to the basket also lacked the necessary aggressiveness and consistency at times. However, the French hosts also had their problems.
So the first three-pointer finally came at the beginning of the second quarter, Bonn’s Brian Fobbs equalized to 17:17. Immediately afterwards, Till Pape also added a three-point shot, and the Baskets turned the game around. With successful attempts from a distance, Bonn briefly managed to crack the French, who were actually well positioned defensively – Fobbs increased the score to 23:17 with the next three-pointer.
But this Bonn phase didn’t last long. Dijon went on a 10-0 run a little later, and the nerve-racking Fobbs equalized from downtown in the last second of the second period to make the halftime score 32:32.
Sengfelder and Fobbs put Bonn on the road to victory
It should remain a very low scoring game. Because Bonn’s shooting rate from distance was only 28 percent, the hosts were even more harmless in this statistic with just seven percent. However, Dijon had a better return on normal throws and also received a few free throws from Bonn.
It wasn’t until just under three minutes before the end that the Baskets were able to pull ahead to 63:58 thanks to a three-pointer from Chris Sengfelder. A good individual action from Fobbs was also important for Bonn: he moved strongly to the basket, scored two points and got a free throw on top of that, which he converted – the Baskets, who had increasingly shed their insecurities and defensive problems in the last quarter, let themselves go not take the victory afterwards.
