TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
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8 Point Play Pushes Gottingen Past Ulm!
Tied 69-69 with 7 seconds to play, ratiopharm Ulm and Gottingen were locked in a intense basketball game set up for a fantastic finish Saturday night at Lokhalle. But the game took a strange turn as the Violets pulled out the old '8 point play' to ice the game in the final 2 seconds earning an 80-69 win. 8 point play? After officials changed a call awarding Violet center Jason Boone with a three point play, Gottingen held a 72-69 lead. Ulm turned the ball over on the ensuing inbound and was forced to immediately foul again with 2.4 seconds left. Already behind the eight ball, Ulm was hit with three technical fouls and Head coach Mike Taylor was ejected giving Gottingen eight straight free throws to seal the result. The unusual ending is surely one of the strangest finishes to a basketball game ever seen.
ratiopharm Ulm's Rocky Trice was outstanding against his former team scoring 18 points including several clutch baskets down the stretch of Saturday night at Lokhalle in Gottingen.
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regio TV report
click here for Ulm Fan-Attack photo gallery from Gottingen
Saturday nights game was special for ratiopharm Ulm guard Rocky Trice as he returned to Lokhalle to face his former team in Gottingen. The sold out crowd filled the Lokhalle with energy and colored the stands purple as fans greeted Rocky with a warm welcome during player introductions. Rockt responded with an outstanding game.
ratiopharm Ulm point guard Per Gunther communicates with teammates Saturday night at Lokhalle in Gottingen.
Focused to be the first Bundesliga team to win in the Lokhalle this season, ratiopharm Ulm was shorthanded as they played without talented rookie forward Robin Benzing, hardworking wing Sebastian Betz and solid guard Christian Grosse. With Gottingen 10-0 at home and on a 7 game winning streak, ratiopharm Ulm was ready for the challenge and prepared for the pressure.
Summer league teammates in New York City, ratiopharm Ulm's Coleman Collins defends Gottingen post man Jason Boone in Saturday nights action at Lokhalle.
At tip off, ratiopharm Ulm executed their game plan well attacking the double-teaming Gottingen defense with ballmovement and teamwork. Christian Burns and Lee Humphrey started the game strong for Ulm. The even first quarter saw the Violets hold a 10-9 lead at the five minute mark before edging ahead. Gottingen big men began to esatblish themselves on with hardwork in the paint and the Violets capitalized on several offensive rebounds to build their lead. With both teams finding their rhythm in the game, Gottingen ended the first quarter with a 22-17 lead.
ratiopharm Ulm's Christian Burns attacks the Violets defense Saturday night at Lokhalle in Gottingen.
Quarter two saw Gottingen make a 12-0 run to take control of the game. Leading 34-28 with five minutes remaining in the half, the Violets brought the home crowd into the game and stretched their advantage to 42-28 with just over one minute remaining before half. A tipdunk from John Bryant pulled Ulm within ten before the break. Outscoring Ulm 20-15 in the second quarter, the Violets held a 42-32 advantage at half.
ratiopharm Ulm's John Bryant works to defend Gottingen center Christopher McNaughton in the paint Saturday night at Lokhalle in Gottingen.
At the half, Ulm faced a ten point deficit. Gottingen's Chris McNaughton was in top form in the first twenty minutes producing 17 points on a perfect 6 of 6 from the floor and 5 of 6 from the foul line. Ulm had shot 39% from the floor while limiting the Violets to 37% but Gottingen held a 26-18 advantage on the boards including 12 offensive rebounds. The Violets also held a big advantage from the foul line making 13 of 16 from the charity stripe while Ulm was 0 for 4 in the first half. Ulm's 6 for 12 three point shooting in the first half was a key to their offense in particular Lee Humphrey buring 3 of 4 triples in the first twenty minutes.
ratiopharm Ulm power forward Christian Burns finishes a mid-lane pullup over Gottingen center Chris McNaughton Saturday night.
As the second half opened, Gottingen maintained their advantage. Ulm and the Violets exchanged baskets as Ulm worked to find a way to cut into the Gottingen lead. Despite the efforts, Gottingen controlled play throughout the third and Ulm trailed 60-49 going into the fourth.
ratiopharm Ulm Per Gunther defends Gottingen guard Chester Frazier Saturday night at Lokhalle.
In the fourth, ratiopharm Ulm fought back. A 9-0 run helped Ulm work their way back into the game. Ulm began changing defenses mixing in presses and zones when possible. Disrupting the Gottingen offensive rhythm, Ulm forced several turnovers and created open court opportunities. Gottingen head coach John Patrick took two timeouts within a 30 second span in an attempt to regroup his team and stop the Ulm run. After a defensive stop, Austen Rowland grabbed a defensive rebound and raced into the open court in a two on one with a streaking Rocky Trice. Making eye contact, Rowland sailed a beautiful lob pass in transition as Rocky rose up high above the rim. Hammering home a fantastic alley oop slam to finish the fast break, the Lokhalle crowd had flashbacks to many highlights from their former player. Energizing Ulm with the dunk, the comeback continued. A three point play from Coleman Collins and big pull up jumper mid-lane from Austen Rowland cut into the Gottingen lead. Ulm momentum continued to grow. The changing defenses shifted the tempo toward Ulm.
ratiopharm Ulm power forward Christian Burns organizes the attack during Saturday's game at Lokhalle in Gottingen.
With under one minute to play, Ulm picked up another defensive stop and Austen Rowland organized the offense. As Gottingen held a 67-57 lead, Rocky Trice scored a tough bucket pulling Ulm within 67-59. Moments later, Christian Burns ripped down an offensive rebound from a free throw and found a cutting Lee Humphrey on the right wing. The Ulm sharpshooter drilled his fifth three of the evening pulling Ulm closer to 67-62 with 2:19 to play. Moments later, Lee was fouled shooting a deep three from the left wing. Lee cooly sank all three free throws and Ulm was within two at 67-56. Rocky Trice came through with the next big points for Ulm tying the score with just 1:47 to play.
Gottingen forward Chris Oliver passes the ball to open teammate Ben Jacobsen as Ulm's Lee Humphrey and Rocky Trice defend.
With the score even at 67, Rowland attacked a middle ballscreen above the top of the key. Driving strong to the right to evade a double team, Austen forced the penetration. Gottingen defense was there and officials called him for a charge returning the ball back to the Violets. On the ensuing possession, Ulm defense dug in. Gottingen executed and John Little missed an acrobatic attempt. A battle for the basketball ensued. Tracking down the offensive rebound in the corner, Gottingen found a way to finish on a second shot put back taking the lead 69-67 with 15 seconds to play. Ulm used their final timeout.
ratiopharm Ulm's Rocky Trice buries a clutch pull up jumpshot in the fourth quarter Saturday night at Lokhalle in Gottingen.
Out of the timeout, ratiopharm Ulm went to talented guard Rocky Trice. Making plays against his former team, Rocky popped to the wing and drove strong down the left lane line. Shotfaking his moving defender, Rocky stepped through to finish a big basket tying the score at 69 with 7.9 seconds left. Gottingen called a timeout. As Ulm came to the bench, Rocky began to cramp up and received attention from Ulm physio Andi Lacher. Ready for the important defensive possession, Ulm prepared for the same sideline inbound play Gottingen used last week in Tubingen for the game winning basket. Defending the first and second cutters, Ulm pressured the Violets midcourt sideline inbound play. As a pressure release, Gottingen center Jason Boone popped open three steps beyond the three point line to catch the inbound pass. With the play broken, Boone pivoted and drove strong to the basket down the right lane line. Ulm's Coleman Collins defended Boone riding him side by side throughout the move. As Boone drove just past the elbow, the baseline lead-official whistled a foul. With Boone progressing through an NBA-continuation banking a shot off glass, the official clearly waved off the basket giving the 'no basket' sign with his hands. Both teams focused for the important free throws and began to align themselves for Boone's two shots. But on the way to report the fouls at the table, the official conferred with another referee from the side. With a quiet Lokhalle awaiting two shots, the referee changed his call counting the basket giving Boone an 'And 1' opportunity with 5 seconds left. Instantly the Ulm bench argued the change of call. Officials warned Ulm head coach Mike Taylor. Play resumed with Boone completing the three point play giving Gottingen a 72-69 lead. Out of timeouts, Ulm attempted to execute a late-game fullcourt endline inbound play. Unfortunately, the play broke down and turned into a scramble. Rocky Trice fired a long inbound pass to a cutting Lee Humphrey who toed the sideline like a football wide receiver. Unfortunately for Ulm, Lee lost control of the ball out of bounds for a turnover. Forced into fouling once again, Ulm immediately fouled Gottingen forward Chris Oliver. Down 72-69, Gottingen had two free throws with 2.4 seconds to play. As both teams lined up for Oliver's first foul shot, everything was normal. But things changed instantly when an official hit Ulm point guard Per Gunther with a Technical foul for discussing the change of call moments before. Already facing a three point deficit with two Oliver free throws, the technical foul against Per effectively ended the game with two more foul shots plus the basketball. Incensed, Ulm head coach Mike Taylor argued with officials as the change in call and technical eliminated Ulm's opportunity to win the game. Already warned, officials handed out two more technical fouls as Taylor disputed the end of the game. Moments later, the stunned Lokhalle crowd watched Chris Oliver make 8 straight free throws pushing the final score to 80-69. The unusual 8 point play was a disappointing ending to a hardfought game and certainly one of the strangest ways for a basketball game to finish.
ratiopharm Ulm was led by Lee Humphrey's 20 points on 5 of 7 from beyond the three point arc while Rocky Trice added 18 points 6 rebounds 3 steals against his former team.
For the game, ratiopharm Ulm shot 39% from the floor making 8 of 20 three point shots (40%) and 15 of 23 from the foul line (65%) including 15 of 19 in the second half. Gottingen hit 41% of their shots including 3 of 20 from three (15%) and 23 of 27 foul shots (85%) includng the unusual 8 straight in one second from Chris Oliver at the end of the game. Gottingen outrebounded Ulm 44-33. Christopher McNaughton topscored for Gottingen with 22 points 8 rebounds, Chester Frazier chipped in 16 points for the Violets while Jason Boone posted a 14 point 13 rebound double double and Chris Oliver added 14 points on a perfect 10 for 10 from the foul line in the win.
ratiopharm Ulm looks ahead to Saturday's home game against rival EnBW Ludwigsburg. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
