The ratiopharm Ulm basketball team successfully completed the preliminary round in the Eurocup with a convincing performance. On the last day of the game, head coach Anton Gavel’s team beat Romanian club Cluj-Napoca 91-71 (45-32).
With the eleventh victory in the 18th game, the Ulm team go into the knockout round as third in their group. Ulm got off to a great start and opened the game with an 11:2 run. Thanks to the significantly better rate of three, the hosts were 23:15 ahead at the quarter-break. After three threes in the first three minutes, the Swabians extended their lead to 34:17 and maintained a two-digit lead at the break.
At the end of the third quarter, the Bundesliga basketball club experienced a brief period of weakness, but thanks to their accuracy from outside, the Ulmer quickly extended their lead in the final section back into the double-digit range. In the end, the hosts had sunk 19 threes. Brandon Paul led Ulm with 16 points, German national player Philipp Herkenhoff (four points) made his comeback after a one-year injury break.
In the round of 16 of the European Cup, Ulm, third in Group A, will meet Buducnost Voli Podgorica (Montenegro), sixth in Group B. The knockout round will begin on April 12, with Ulm enjoying home advantage.