The Niners Chemnitz won Saturday's top clash in the German Basketball League against ratiopharm Ulm by a wafer-thin margin. The home side defeated the German champions 83:82 (49:31) after leading by 20 points in the first half. Chemnitz ended up celebrating its 18th victory in its 22nd game of the season, bettered only by Bayern Baskerballer with 17 wins and three defeats. Munich will host Telekom Baskets Bonn on Sunday.
Aher Uguak and Kevin Yebo played the biggest part in the Saxons' success with 16 points each. Wesley van Beck (12), Jeff Garrett and DeAndre Lansdowne (11 each) also scored in double figures. Trevion Williams scored 22 points for Ulm, while Juan Nunez (14) and Georginho de Paula (11) also impressed.
The hosts of Head Coach Rodrigo Pastore laid the foundation for their success with an outstanding opening spell. After trailing 3:5 in the 2nd minute, Chemnitz pulled 23:9 ahead within six minutes and extended that lead to 41:21 by the 16th minute. The cushion dwindled as the game progressed. Ulm closed the gap to 76:78 in the final minute. Yet the home side showed nerves of steel and saved the narrow lead. It was Ulm's eighth defeat of the season.
Copyright 2024, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
