Basketball Bundesliga team Rasta Vechta is the first team to reach the cup quarter-finals. The BBL newcomer defeated BG Göttingen in the round of 16 after double extra time at home with 101:99 (39:42, 85:85, 94:94).
This means that head coach Ty Harrelson’s team is still undefeated after five competitive games, and Vechta is currently leading the league. Vechta’s Tommy Kuhse excelled with 37 points, ten assists and the game-winning basket.
From the start it was a game of equals. Vechta only lost the ball twice in the first half, but scored worse from the field than Göttingen. The guests converted three three-pointers in the last 80 seconds before the break and, led by Karlis Silins, went into the locker room with a 42:39 lead.
Tommy Kuhse becomes the match winner
In the third quarter, Tommy Kuhse took over at Vechta: The development player scored eleven points for his team in a row, the hosts went into the final period with a 60:58 lead. There, Lower Saxony maintained their narrow lead for a long time, but with the final siren, Silins hit a three-pointer to make it 85:85 and save Göttingen into overtime.
The guests kept taking the lead there, but Vechta kept coming back. This was also the case four seconds before the end, when Kuhse forced the second overtime with a layup to make it 94:94. And there Kuhse finally became the match winner and hit the decisive basket 0.5 seconds before the end of the game.