Munich thrash a Braunschweig side weakened by absences

After FC Bayern Basketball suffered their first BBL defeat on Sunday, the Munich side put in an impressive response against a Braunschweig Lions side weakened by absences.

FC Bayern Basketball have avenged their first BBL defeat of the season in impressive fashion. Against the Braunschweig Lions, the game was only close during the first quarter. Braunschweig got off to a better start, leading 6–2 early on. However, Bayern quickly found their rhythm and took the lead. They were led by top scorer Austin Wiley (17 points, 7/9 FG, 10 rebounds), who scored eight of Munich’s first 15 points. Midway through the quarter, however, the visitors got back into the game following a time-out. The Lions’ top scorer, Zaba Bangala (14 points, 7 rebounds), scored eight points by the end of the quarter, reducing the deficit to four points.

At the start of the second quarter, Munich pulled away to a lead of more than ten points. The Lions struggled to score in the period that followed as well. As a result, Munich extended their lead to around 20 points on several occasions before the break. The half-time score was 57–38.

Braunschweig struggled to hit three-pointers

The Lower Saxony side, who were without their top scorer Devin Askew (concussion), struggled to get their offence going in the second half as well. This was epitomised by their three-point shooting percentage of 13 per cent (4/30). The visitors from Lower Saxony also lost the rebound battle decisively (35–59). It was Miles Norris (14 points, 6/10 FG) who, as the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter, extended the lead to 30 points. In the final quarter, Munich were therefore able to take their foot off the gas offensively. Nevertheless, young prospect Niko Jerkic managed to secure the biggest lead of the evening in the closing stages, which was also the final score.

Five players scored in double figures for the home side. Alongside Wiley and Norris, these were Justinian Jessup (17 points, 3/6 from three-point range), Marjon Beauchamp (16 points, 7 rebounds) and Kamar Baldwin (10 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists). For the Lions, apart from Bangala, only Sheldon Edwards (12 points) and De’Jour Reaves (10 points) managed to do so.

There is hardly any time for the Munich side to catch their breath. An away game against ASVEL in the EuroLeague is already on the schedule for Thursday (8.00 pm). The Lions play away at Telekom Baskets Bonn in the BBL on Saturday (8.00 pm).