By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Finishing off Day 1 of the easyCredit BBL final tournament, ratiopharm Ulm beat FC Bayern Munich, 95-85, at the Audi Dome.
Coming off months of inactivity, similar to every player involved in the preliminary round match, Tyler Harvey proved the deciding factor for the upset. The Eastern Washington alumni poured 21 points. Thomas Klepeisz threw in 17 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
Ulm took full control in the fourth quarter building on a strong third period. Ineffective defense prevented the tournament hosts from launching a comeback bid despite Vladimir Lucic posting a game-high 23 points. Paul Zipser added 16 points with 4/4 three-pointers in losing effort.
The German League is officially back with ten top-tier teams attempting a fresh start in Munich. A series of games behind closed doors will crown the 2019-20 champion. The season was suspended in March, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The final tournament opener saw BG Gottingen defeat the Crailsheim Merlins, 89-78. Youngster Bennet Hundt put up a career-high 30 points behind five threes guiding his side to victory.
EWE Baskets Oldenburg is the fifth Group A team. Group B consists of ALBA Berlin, Brose Bamberg, Fraport Skyliners, MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, and RASTA Vechta.
The top four teams from each group will advance to the two-game quarterfinals. A double-game series will determine the semifinals and the finals winners as well.
According to the schedule released, the final tournament will be completed on June 28.
BBL Group A Day 1:
BG Gottingen – Crailsheim Merlins 89-78 (Hundt 30pts – J. Hawkins 17pts)
FC Bayern Munich – ratiopharm Ulm 85-95 (Harvey 21pts – Lucic 23pts)