@ 
ULM Meets LICH with Magic #2!
ratiopharm Ulm is back in action Saturday April 8th as they board their team bus on a road trip north of Frankfurt for an 8pm 2.Bundesliga South tipoff against TV Lich. Entering the weekend 25-1, Ulm's "Magic Number" is 2. A win in Lich would help Ulm take another step forward toward the 2.Bundesliga South league title and promotion into the German Bundesliga next season. Powered by momentum from last Friday's fantastic overtime victory in Bayreuth, ratiopharm Ulm is focused on the present challenge from Lich as they close in on the dream goal of the "Aufsteig"! Saturday night is also special for Ulm forward Konrad Wysocki who grew up in nearby Giessen Germany and will have his own cheering section of friends and family supporting him in Lich. Like his team, Wysocki enters the game riding a high after his clutch 25 point performance in Bayreuth last Friday. Looking to finish the season strong, Wysocki and teammates aim to make Saturday's game in Lich another step toward the 2.Bundesliga South title!
Ulm needs two wins to clinch the 2.Bundesliga South championship!
Saturday April 8th, 2006
@ 
The 2005-2006 2.Bundesliga South season enters the final month of basketball action this weekend with 4 exciting Game Days remaining. Poised for further progress toward the title, league-leading 25-1 ratiopharm Ulm travels north of Frankfurt to take on 11-15 TV Lich at 8pm Saturday evening --- "Magic number" at two, a win in Lich would put the Ulmers on the brink of the Championship.
Winning in Lich, however, is no guarantee. A traditional team that serves as the farm club for Bundesliga squad Giessen 46ers, Lich has proven to be a tough place to play. This seasons team has also shown strong home form including tough home games against Jena and Chemnitz earlier this year. Earlier this season, ratiopharm Ulm outlasted a feisty Lich team 89-73 Friday night December 9, 2005 at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. Jonathan Levy's 20 point 8 rebound 4 assist evening combined with Jeff Gibbs' powerful 19 point 14 rebound double-double, pushed Ulm to victory number 12 on the season. Lich star forward Reggie Golson led the visitors effort with 24 points on 10 for 18 floor shooting while DJ Boticki added 20 points for Head Coach Dejan Kostic's team. A key to Ulm's win was holding Lich's starting backcourt of captain Rolf Scholz and shooter Viktor Klassen to a dismal 1-14 shooting evening. It took Ulm a full four quarters to breakthrough in Game Day 12 and a similar all-out Lich effort will be expected Saturday in Game Day 27.
HOMECOMING! Ulm forward Konrad Wysocki grew up nearby Lich in Giessen!
Fast forward to Saturday's matchup, the night will be special for more reasons than simply the "Magic Number". Ulm forward Konrad Wysocki, who signed with Ulm shortly after Christmas, looks forward to a homecoming against Lich Saturday. After growing up in nearby Giessen, Wysocki will enjoy many friends and family in the stands supporting him on the evening and there is no better way to enter a homecoming game than following a fantastic performance like last weekend's win in Bayreuth. The aggressive, versatile Wysocki came off the bench for a huge night scoring a game best 25 points to help Ulm to their important win. Certainly, Saturday's game in Lich will be very important to Konrad and his family and Wysocki will be ready.
BIG GUNS! Ulm's Jeff Gibbs will meet Lich star Reggie Golson!
More than simply a family night, Saturday's Ulm-Lich game will feature several intriguing matchups. At the top of the list, American power forwards Jeff Gibbs and Reggie Golson will lock horns for the second time this season. The leagues leading scorer, Golson averages 25.6ppg and has topscored for Lich 17 times this season. Meanwhile, Gibbs continues to be among the top rebounders in the league at 11.8rpg. Both players block shots and make exciting plays. Certainly the Gibbs-Golson matchup will be one to watch this weekend. Next, on the wing, Emeka Erege and DJ Boticki will do battle. Overcoming injuries in recent weeks, Boticki has averaged 18.7ppg 4.6ast 2.5stls and drove effectively against Ulm for 20 points in the first meeting. For Ulm, team captain Erege has been fantastic down the stretch elevating his play when his team needs it most. At the shooting guard spot, Ulm's Jonathan Levy anticipates his matchup against Lich sharpshooter Viktor Klassen. Levy has been terrific all season for Ulm and was excellent defensively against Klassen in the first matchup back in December. At the point, hardnosed Rolf Scholz brings high energy and outstanding effort to the floor. The Lich captain averages 3.6stls and has enjoyed 2 games of 8 steals and one 7 steal game this season. For Ulm, point guards Martin Thuesen and Christian Grosse are a tenacious tag-team tandem as floor generals and look to wear down the Lich leader. After losing Peter Strobl mid-season, Lich has relied on young big men Johannes Lischka and Daniel Dorr for significant minutes inside. Both will play physically against Ulm big men Maksym Shtein and Florian Mobius. From the bench, Ulm's Jan Sprunken and Konrad Wysocki add quality to the team while Lich will counter with Patrick Unger and JP Prasuhn who both will play hard. Without question, Lich head coach Dejan Kostic will have his team playing hard --- Lich currently sits atop the league in collecting steals at 13.2 per game. Fans can expect Lich to play even harder this weekend as they look to snap a 4 game losing skid (a Lich loss would equal a 5 game slide from earlier this season). Saturday night, Ulm must be ready for the energy and effort level from Lich.
One on One! Point guards Martin Thuesen and Lich's Rolf Scholz go at it!
Ulm understands the history in Lich. In 2002-2003, Ulm underestimated Lich and lost 85-83 on March 29, 2003 behind a hot shooting night from the home squad. Next season, Ulm's uptempo game powered past Lich 97-65 Friday night January 30, 2004. Finally, last year, Ulm overcame a 41 point effort from former Lich forward Ryan DeMichael to win 96-81 on Saturday night October 9, 2004. While Ulm understands the task at hand, the team also has much to play for. A victory Saturday would tie Ulm's season-best win mark of 26 games from when the team went 26-4 in 2.Bundesliga South play during the 2003-2004 season. More importantly, Ulm is hungry to reduced their "Magic Number" and position themselves on the brink of the league title. While Ulm will work to earn their win in Lich, Jena hosts Heidelberg at Lobeda West in Jena. 4 games remain and much can happen during an exciting season!
Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com
GO ULM!
MIKE T
Martin Thuesen Ulm PG looks forward to duel with Rolf Scholz
Jonathan Levy 14pt 10reb plus tough D in Bayreuth win/ difficult matchup for Lich
Emeka Erege Ulm Captain leads with heart/20pt 5reb in big win at Bayreuth
Jeff Gibbs powerforward ready for head to head matchup with Lich's Golson
Maksym Shtein center has matchup advantage against Lich inside
Konrad Wysocki ready for special homecoming in Lich/25pt in Bayreuth was key!
Florian Mobius Ulm post sub continues solid play/history of good games in Lich
Jan Sprunken solid team player/ clutch perimeter shooter/ great team guy
Christian Grosse his three point shooting could be key vs Lich zone D
Antonis Sivorotka 42pt for Neu Ulm in season finale Tuesday
Marcel Friede making strides for Neu Ulm and Ulm this year
Sebastian Geserick crafty young PG finished season strong for Neu Ulm
Reggie Golson impressive scorer/ 24pt 10reb v Ulm in December
DJ Boticki skilled wing/fighting injuries/ helps make teammates better/20pt v Ulm
Viktor Klassen 3pt threat/plays hard/ playing best basketball in 3yrs
Rolf Scholz firey PG and leader/excellent defender/team player/worker
Niels Vorenhout
Thomas Lischka solid big man with nice shooting touch/
Daniel Dorr skilled forward/ppg reb/smart/ excellent shooting touch
JP Prasuhn perimeter sub/works on D/ ppg
Patrick Unger perimeter sub
