The Tübingen Tigers are back in the 1st Bundesliga

In front of officially 3132 people in the Paul-Horn-Arena in Tübingen, including Tübingen’s mayor Daniela Harsch and former Tigers coach Aleksandar Nadjfeji, coach Daniel Jansson’s team won the third semi-final duel in the playoffs after a nerve-racking final phase against the heavily weakened substitutes Karlsruhe Lions with 86:80 (41:35). They won the semi-final series by sweep with 3:0 victories. The Tigers’ most successful pitcher was Mateo Seric with 23 points.

In Karlsruhe, not only was playmaker Bazoumana Koné missing, as in the two previous semi-finals, but also Darko Bajo and this time center Maurice Pluskota. Terry Haarmann wasn’t there either. The Karlsruhe team therefore only had four German players in the rotation. In view of the rule that there must always be two people with a German passport on the field, this is a major disadvantage. And so the Lions initially defended almost continuously with a zone defensive.

In the Tigers, Mateo Seric in particular started the game confidently with 7 points in a row. After a dunk by Zac Seljaas, the Tigers led 19:9 after almost five and a half minutes. But Lovell Cabill with 12 points in a row for the Lions and Julian Albus with a free throw brought Karlsruhe to 18:19. By the quarter-break the Tigers were slightly ahead again at 25:20.

After a three by Erol Ersek (only the second successful in 12 attempts) to 30:22, Karlsruhe took its first time-out after 1:10 minutes in the second round. But the Lions didn’t really let themselves be shaken off. The Tigers looked unsorted at the back and after Albus’ three-pointer to make it 33:36, Jansson also requested the Tigers’ first timeout 1:35 minutes before half-time. With 41:35 for Tübingen we went into the long break. Karlsruhe coach Aleksandar Scepanovic, who had previously argued with the referees and the audience, needed to speak to the referees again.

At half time, both teams had weak distance quotas: Tübingen 13 percent, Karlsruhe 18 percent. Under the baskets, the Tigers dominated in the first half (29:19). And the Tübingen team also clearly led in terms of assists (13:4).

In the end it got very tight

Even after the change of sides, the Tigers were initially unable to gain a clearer lead. Dominick von Waaden with 8 Karlsruhe points to 55:63 for a series kept the Lions in the game. Also because the Tigers played defensively sloppy and always seemed sleepy. With 65:59 for Tübingen it went into the final quarter.

That started Tübingen’s Daniel Keppeler with two free-throw rivets. And the people of Karlsruhe believed in their chance. After the next free rebound and Bakary Dibba’s third foul, the Tigers stood there helplessly and looked at each other. But Keppeler extended the subsequent throw-in to Dibba, who dug in to make it 68:59. Time out in Karlsruhe. It can go that fast in basketball. Lanmüller scored a three-pointer to make it 71:59 and Karlsruhe’s Cabbil, previously the Lions top scorer with 18 points, hobbled out after being hit on the knee.

After a bad pass from Seljaas, Ivan Karacic dug in to make it 67:73, just under five minutes before the end. Then Lorenzo Cugini dunked onto the ring, to the delight of the Tübingen fans. But the Tigers continued to play nervously and after Shungu’s fade-away shot to 71:78, Jansson took another time-out with 3:20 minutes to go. But it became a game of nerves. Shungu brought the Lions to 78-80 with 56 seconds remaining. Time out Tigers. In the attack that followed, Seljaas committed an offensive foul, his fifth offence, and that put him out. Dibba, Ersek and Seric from the free throw line made the decision.

Final against Vechta or Giessen

The Tigers are also in the final for the championship in the 2nd division. The opponent is either Rasta Vechta or the Gießen 46ers, in whose semi-final duel it is currently 1:1. Dates for the finals are Friday 2nd June and Sunday 4th June. If it’s Vechta, the Tigers will play at home first, if Gießen is the opponent, the Tübingen team will start with the away game.