AUDIO: Löwen Braunschweig defeat Vechta in the BBL (1 min)
As of: December 27, 2025 8:57 p.m
The Basketball Lions Braunschweig won the Lower Saxony duel with Rasta Vechta. After initial problems, the hosts prevailed against their national rivals on Saturday evening with 98:77 (46:36).
Combo guard Grant Sherfield was the outstanding player for the Lions with 30 points, where Dutch national player David N’Guessan also stood out with 24 points. Tevin Brown was the most successful shooter (16) for the guests, who were weakened. Rasta, which had started the game slightly favored, fell well below its potential in quarters two and three and suffered its sixth defeat of the season.
Vechta loses control in the second quarter
In the early stages, the Braunschweigers were still affected by the bitter 68:93 defeat against Baskets Oldenburg on the last match day. The lions first had to shake the “collective failure” (captain Ferdinand Zylka) against the “Thunderbirds” out of their clothes. For this, the home team needed the first quarter, which went to Vechta with a score of 23:17.
Afterwards, head coach Konstantinos Papazoglou’s team managed to improve significantly, while the guests continually lost ground. The Lions turned things around with a 13-0 run to make it 30:23. The decisive factor for this was not only our own security under the basket, but also our strong defense. The Braunschweig Rastas league’s top scorer Alonzo Verge Jr. hardly allowed him to develop. The American only scored two points in the first 20 minutes.
Vechta lacked determination and clarity in his actions. Coach Christian Held’s team clearly noticed the absence of injured top performers Tibor Pleiß and Tommy Kuhse.
Braunschweig with a very stable performance
Even after the break, the spectators in the Braunschweig multi-purpose hall initially saw the same picture. The Lions continued to act with great concentration and repeatedly asserted themselves under the baskets with a lot of commitment, while Vechta continued to try unsuccessfully to bring stability into his game. The third quarter also went to the home team with a score of 25:17.
The Papazoglou team went into the final period with a 71:53 lead and was even able to extend their lead somewhat, although Rasta once again fought back with all its might in the final phase. In the end, there was a surprisingly clear success for the Lions, who were able to gain some distance from the bottom of the table with win number four of the season.
