Dominant second half defensive effort carries Bayern over Maccabi / News - Basketnews.com

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FC Bayern Munich (12-12) ended Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's (10-12) three-game winning streak at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, defeating the visitors 70-52 (13-16, 17-13, 19-12, 21-11).

Player of the Game EFF 16 Vladimir Lucic Points 9 Accuracy 2-6 Rebounds 5 Assists 1

Corey Walden, Vladimir Lucic, and Othello Hunter started the fourth period with eight unanswered points for Bayern, giving the team their first double-digit advantage (57-41). The hosts didn't allow Maccabi to score for the first four minutes of the fourth.

Bayern's effort proved to be too much for Maccabi to overcome, as Bayern came away with an 18-point victory. They limited Maccabi to just 3 of 17 shooting from distance. The Israeli powerhouse converted 14 of 20 3-pointers in their last game against Zalgiris.

It was a team effort for Bayern, as Corey Walden led them in scoring with 13 points (0/1 2PT, 3/7 3PT, 4/4 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 turnovers, and 11 PIR.

"It's a very important win and definitely a team win with the defense that allowed 16, 13, 12 and 11 points," Andrea Trinchieri said. "We did respect the assignment, with their heart, and that's the reason why we were able to keep Maccabi at 52 points. But the most important thing is that they had only 5 assists. We keep grinding."

On the opposing side, Scottie Wilbekin was the only bright spot for Maccabi. He finished with 20 points (4/5 2PT, 2/8 3PT, 6/6 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, and 25 PIR.

Scottie Wilbekin led Maccabi to an early 10-3 lead, but Augustine Rubit and Andreas Obst finished the first quarter with two straight 3-pointer, helping Bayern cut their deficit to three points after one (13-16).

Bayern continued their successful streak in the second, going on a 9-2 run to gain a two-point cushion (24-22). Both teams went back and forth for the remainder of the period, and the low-scoring first half concluded with Bayern holding a narrow advantage (30-29).

Free throws this season

81%12,3Points made:12,3Accuracy:81,1%Place in standings:8Record max:23Record min:2Most made FTs:Vladimir LucicTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Both squads recorded an abysmal assist-turnover ratio in the first half. Maccabi had 4 assists and 5 turnovers, while Bayern dished out 6 assists and committed 4 turnovers.

Bayern turned it up in the third period, starting off with five unanswered points (35-29). Maccabi stayed within striking distance until the end of the third when Corey Walden nailed a 3-pointer to put the hosts up by nine (49-41).

"I'm really proud of my teammates," Vladimir Lucic said. "We showed character tonight, bouncing back from a tough loss less than 48 hours in Barcelona. [The main takeaway] was how we played defense, making smart decisions, when to rotate, who to rotate. Finally, it's a day off tomorrow after three or four weeks, so we can recover a little bit."

Bayern: Corey Walden 13, Vladimir Lucic 9 (5 REB), Leon Radosevic 8, Nick Weiler-Babb 8 (6 REB), Othello Hunter 7, Augustin Rubit 7, Andreas Obst 6.

Maccabi: Scottie Wilbekin 20, Jalen Reynolds 7 (6 REB), Ante Zizic 7 (5 REB), James Nunnally 4.

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