Basketball Drama: FC Bayern Triumphs Over MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in Nail-Biting Quarterfinal Match

And then it apparently became too exciting even for the game clock: a good two minutes before the end of the quarter-final match between MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg and FC Bayern, it simply stopped. The referees needed a few minutes to find out the exact score. Bayern were still leading by a very small margin, but after the long break the tension was restored: Bayern managed to beat the giants 76:69 (40:34) with more effort than expected, and are now in the semi-finals of the German championship.

Serge Ibaka had suspected it: “Ludwigsburg will fight for everything again,” the basketball veteran in Bayern’s service had predicted, and that’s exactly what happened: The MHP Riesen defended themselves even more doggedly than expected in the fourth game of the series, the clear underdogs met the group winners FC Bayern on equal terms, especially physically, if sometimes a little too emotionally. This was the main reason why the game remained exciting for long stretches, but also because Bayern lost their cool and missed numerous free throws, among other things. The field goal percentage also remained well below 50 percent.

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Although Bayern were in the lead from the start, they were never able to pull away decisively, even though Ludwigsburg had an unusually poor shooting percentage of 35 percent in the first half. This was also because even the world champions had their problems in the ranks of the favorites. At one point, the NBA-tested Serge Ibaka had to endure a loudly celebrated steal, and another time Andreas Obst was humiliatingly blocked.

Different heroes than in previous games

However, Ludwigsburg’s Silas Melson was unable to match his performance in previous games, in which the point guard had averaged 25.7 points – this time he had not scored at all at halftime, and Bayern were more likely to be beaten under the basket in game four than with long-range shots. In general, it was a game with different heroes than in previous games. For the hosts, center Eddy Edigin in particular generated enthusiasm in the not sold-out arena, with a total of 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Carsen Edwards had been the most reliable player for Bayern up to now, but this time the point guard needed a long time to get going. At the start of the fourth quarter, however, he had overtaken the initially strong Devin Booker in terms of points (he scored 22 in total), and his accuracy was urgently needed. Things calmed down a bit in the hall for the first time when Edwards sank a three-pointer with a good five minutes to go to give them a seven-point lead. In the final minute, he also made the decision.

This means that the semifinals starting next Wednesday will be a Bavarian duel, as the Würzburg Baskets knocked defending champions Ratiopharm Ulm out of the competition early on Friday evening. In the exciting 75:72 victory, Ulm were very close to winning their fifth game, but Würzburg turned the game around with a total of six converted free throws in the final minute.

2024-05-24 21:26:25
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