Tested by visiting Slask Wroclaw until overtime on its home floor, ratiopharm Ulm not only prevailed but set a new BKT EuroCup record.
Ulm's 35 assists set new EuroCup record in OT thriller
Article
3 Mins read
It was far from easy and it required a big-time comeback in the fourth quarter, but ratiopharm Ulm kept its playoffs challenge on track with a 108-103 overtime victory against winless Slask Wroclaw on Wednesday night – and set a new competition record by dishing 35 assists in the process.
The German champ might have expected a fairly straightforward game against the Polish team. After all, Slask had lost its first four games of the season, with three of those coming by double-digit margins. Slask also had the further handicap of traveling with an injury-hit roster that was effectively reduced to just nine players.
But any expectations of a comfortable home win were soon dashed when Slask went toe to toe with Ulm from the opening tip, keeping a back-and-forth game within a single possession for most of the first half. Even more surprisingly, the visiting team exploded in the third quarter with a 4-19 run, moving to a double digit lead – 64-77 – with just 10 minutes remaining.
Against all the odds, Ulm was in a hole...but the German champs responded by doing what they does best: fast-paced offense and sharing the ball.
A remarkable 15-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter turned the scoreboard around, and it looked as though the game was over when Thomas Klepeisz and Georginho De Paula combined for a thrilling alley-oop at 87-80. But Slask admirably kept on fighting to force overtime, and Ulm had to start all over again – a challenge it answered to perfection by scoring 7 points in the first 90 seconds of the extra period, all coming from Juan Nunez assists.
When it all finally finished with a 108-103 victory for Ulm, the numbers were impressive – especially in terms of sharing the ball.
The German champ set a new EuroCup record with 35 assists, one more than both Aykon Ted Ankara Kolejliler and Khimki Moscow Region had back in the 2013-14 season. Ulm's bounty was well distributed among the team, too. Trevion Williams and Klepeisz both had 7 assists, Nunez and De Paula had 6 each, and six other players also registered assists in a stunning offensive effort.
Although head coach Anton Gavel – as coaches tend to – reacted to the win by criticizing his team's defense, the offensive fireworks from all directions provided plenty of thrills and spills. With everyone in the Ulm lineup feeling the freedom to create and contribute, this offense takes some stopping. And even when the defense doesn't perform as the coach would like, it also leads to plenty of victories.