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ULM TOPS TV LICH 101-78 ratiopharm Ulm returned to winning ways Saturday night with a effort filled 101-78 victory over TV Lich at Sportszentrum Kuhberg. Focused simply on playing hard and giving maximum effort, Ulm players overcame an extremely aggressive Lich team and a physical fourth quarter to improve to 14-3 in 2.Bundesliga South League play. Ulm point guard Shaheen Holloway set the tone on the games first possession popping loose a steal before gliding to a breakaway layup to start the scoring. Lich answered immediately behind two tough three point shots from scoring guard Nigel Moore pushing the visitors ahead 9-4. Ulm pivot man Maksym Shtein was whistled for two early fouls forcing him to the bench just over two minutes into the action. Emeka Erege and Holloway made plays helping Ulm regain the lead. Hustle plays from Peter Heizer --- diving on the floor tipping a midcourt loose ball to a teammate and sprinting back to stop a Viktor Klassen breakaway layup --- inspired Ulm. In the same way, Ulm forward Florian Mobius responded to his challenging defensive assignment against Lich scoring forward Ryan DeMichael with an excellent defensive effort. News was not all perfect for Ulm --- forward Antoine Sinclair (coming off a string of strong games) jammed the pinky finger on his shooting hand (left hand). Ulm medical staff, physio Andi Lacher and Dr Buch immediately returned the disjointed finger back to the regular position, but Sinclair missed the remainder of the game. As the first quarter came to a close, Ulm edged ahead 22-19.
Ulm Medical staff fix Antoine Sinclair's injured finger. Stepping up as a key player for Ulm on the evening, guard Christian Grosse caught fire in the first half draining open threes before banking in a pull up J from the left elbow. The competitive young guard also helped the Ulm defensive cause with strong one on one containment. Working against an extended 2-1-2 Lich zone, Ulm moved the ball effectively and crashed the offensive boards well --- unfortunately, the team simply misfired on several good looks that could have broken the game open early. Instead, Lich forward Ryan DeMichael kept the red and black clad visitors in the game. A dunk down the middle of the lane in transition (after an Ulm defensive breakdown) and an NBA range 3pointer from the top of the key pulled Lich dangerously close at 32-30. At that important stretch in the second quarter, Ulm backcourt players Shaheen Holloway and Christian Grosse raised their game --- Holloway sliced through Lich defenders in transition and in halfcourt action for flashy driving finishes while Grosse buried another three from the corner. Ulm extended their lead to ten at the halftime break 44-34. In the lockerroom, Ulm discussed their zone attack, refocused on the fast Lich transition game, talked about the teams defensive game plan and congratulated the players for their improved effort level. With an entire half to play, Ulm prepared for a team that they knew would not go away.
Ulm's Peter Heizer inspired teammates with hustle. In the opening minutes of the third quarter, Ulm and Lich exchanged jabs. Physical play picked up. Ulm big men Maksym Shtein and Florian Mobius collected fouls as did Lich widebody Milan Anznjac. Sparked by Holloway plays in transiton leading to easy scores for teammates, Ulm opened a 65-52 lead. Then, attempting to sub center Big Mike Niebling for forward Florian Mobius (who was whistled for his fourth foul late in the third), Ulm head coach Mike Taylor engaged in a heated discussion with officials. Officials denied the subsitution saying the ball was already handed to the shooter. Meanwhile, Mobius had walked all the way to the bench --- almost off the floor --- to give Mike T a handshake before the baseline official bounced the ball to the free throw shooter. Amazed at the lack of awareness, the Ulm coach reminded the referees and was hit with a technical foul. Lich free throw shooter Jan-Peter Prashun quickly capitalized hitting his free shots cutting Ulm's lead to 8. With the third quarter clock about to run out, Ulm's Chrisitan Grosse took an inbound pass penetrated the left side, snuck along the baseline and delivered a beautiful bounce pass to Michael Niebling who finished inside off glass as the quarter buzzer sounded. Ulm finished the third up 71-59.
Officials were very active in the second half. Both teams began to take liberties on each other as the game got out of hand. Ulm's Maksym Shtein leveled Lich guard Viktor Klassen with a blind ballscreen in the backcourt. Lich players pounded Ulmers in the paint. Ulm's Big Mike Niebling flattened Lich forward Tomislav Topic under the boards. Referees lost control of the game. Fans went wild. Lich head coach Dejan Kostic also had a few choice words for officials as medical staff attended to the injured Topic. Promptly smacking Kostic with a T, referees tightened things up quickly by calling two intentional fouls on Lich and one on Ulm.
Ulm staff check Lich's Tomislav Topic in the physical fourth quarter. After a grueling week of practice, Ulm players responded well to the physical intensity of the fourth quarter. Attacking the rim, Ulm players drew several fouls with strong plays. Running the floor in transition, Ulm capitalized on their defensive stops, 20 total team steals and converted several easy baskets blowing the game open. A Michael Bree three from the top of the key and strong finishes inside from Maksym Shtein put Ulm ahead to stay. The team plugged through the physical play to earn the 101-78 win. Shaheen Holloway eclipsed the century mark with a right wing three ball to the enjoyment of the fans.
Shaheen Holloway (#6) posted 16pt, 9ast and 5 stl in his home debut. Scanning the stats, Ulm put five players in double figures led by Taylorhoops.com Player of the Game Christian Grosse who tallied 18 points on 6-10 shooting including 3 for 6 from three. "The Kid" hit 3 of 4 free throws, dished out 2 assists, grabbed 2 rebounds and picked up 2 steals. Strong games from Maksym Shtein and Emeka Erege saw them add 17 points apiece with Shtein securing 9 boards. Forward Florian Mobius was solid on both ends of the floor scoring 12 points, snaring 9 rebounds and defending DeMichael well. Ulm playmaker Shaheen Holloway rounded out the team leaders with a quality 16 point, 9 assist, 5 steal evening in his home debut. Big Mike Niebling's play was also noteworthy as the 7 footer scored 6 points with 4 boards and physical D in almost 18 good minutes off the bench. Big man Milan Anznjac topscored for Lich with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Jan-Peter Prasuhn added 16 points while Nigel Moore contributed 13. Unlike the earlier game in Lich where Ryan DeMichael scored 40 against Ulm, excellent team defense spearheaded by Mobius limited DeMichael to 9 points with 9 boards. Ulm outrebounded Lich 33-26, distributed a team total 21 assists and snatched the team total of 20 steals. Ulm shot 52% from the floor and hit 78% from the foul line while Lich shot 44% from the floor. Ulm boards the team bus again next Sunday Febuary 6th as the team travels to Kaiserslautern for a 6pm tip against the much improved Red Devils. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm baketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com! GO ULM! MIKE T
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