By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
FC Bayern Munich faced significant difficulties in the first half but was able to overpower new-look Buducnost VOLI, 93-88, in the EuroLeague Regular Season Round 15 game between the two clubs.
Derrick Williams was instrumental in the comeback victory. The 27-year-old American forward’s latest heroics translated to four three-pointers and a total of 21 points. Following the match, he highlighted: “It was a team effort. We battled back from down 17 points. That’s a complete team effort. Braydon Hobbs came in the game and poured in four of five threes, and we needed all four of them. In the second half, we wanted to buckle down on defense, and that’s what we did”.
The crowd in the sold-out Audi Dome also really helped out, as Dejan Radonjic mentioned: “Thanks to the fans for the big support tonight. That was very important”.
The ABA League Champions were very effective defensively in the first half. They got a 38-21 lead midway through the second period before the German Champions started clawing back. The home team eventually found the way to overcome Aleksandar Dzikic’s defensive schemes and turned the game around after starting the last period with a 13-2 run.
Bayern’s coach summed up the game saying: “In the first half we allowed 49 points. We had problems with transition defense, man-to-man defense, with boxing out. We changed things defensively in the second half, first of all. And we played quite good and certainly different offensively than in the first half. It was a good win, especially when analyzing the first and second halves”.
Braydon Hobbs, who added 14 points for the winners, said: “The shots were falling for me. I felt my flow in the third quarter, and give my teammates credits for giving me the ball. It was a great win. We battled back in the second half. It was a really fun game, one of the most fun game we’ve had this season. I am proud of our team. We played the first half of the season solid, there are a couple of games that could have gone either way. But we have to take this momentum, and hopefully, we can keep it going, get some guys back from injury and keep moving on”.
Norris Cole returned to the EuroLeague with 27 points, also dished six assists. Goga Bitadze, also a new addition to Buducnost’s roster, finished up with 17 points.
Stefan Jovic (hand), Milan Macvan (knee) and Devin Booker (ankle) weren’t available for the Germans. The visitors didn’t have Aleksa Ilic (knee) and Nikola Ivanovic (knee) in their lineup.
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