Chemnitz lets victory slip from its grasp

The basketball players of Niners Chemnitz gave away a victory they thought was almost certain in the final seconds and lost 80:81 (37:42) at Bamberg Baskets. With the score at 76:78 for the club from Saxony, Aher Uguak showed nerves of steel with eleven seconds remaining and missed both free throws. On the other end, Noah Locke (22 points) tied the scores at 80:80 and was fouled on a lay-up. Bamberg converted the free throw to make the final score 81:80, as Chemnitz' Olivier Nkamhoua's attempted three missed the home side's basket.

While the club from Upper Franconia celebrated its third win in a row, the club from Saxony suffered its third defeat in a row and slipped into mid-table in the German Basketball League. Alongside Locke, Ronaldo Segu (17), KeyShawn Feazell (12) and Filipp Stanic (11) were the main contributors to the home side's success. Victor Bailey Jr. (20), William Christmas (14) and Jeff Garrett (12) scored in double figures for the Niners.

The visitors' insecurity after their recent 88:123 home defeat against Telekom Baskets Bonn was particularly noticeable in the opening spell. Chemnitz made just 33 percent of its shots from the floor before the break and fell 28:38 behind two minutes before the break. However, the players of Head Coach Rodrigo Pastore improved enormously in the meantime. The club from Saxony turned a 48:53 deficit (27') into a 62:58 lead (33') with a 14:5 run and already looked like a sure winner at 72:64 (37'). However, Chemnitz was not able to hold on to that lead due to its fluttering nerves.