BG Göttingen started the easyCredit BBL Final Tournament 2020 with a surprise 89-78 victory over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim – thanks to Bennet Hundt setting a new career high of 30 points. Göttingen nailed 15-of-34 three-pointers – with Hundt connecting on 5-of-9 – to go with 18-of-20 free throws to secure the crucial win in Group A of the 10-team tournament. Göttingen were 11-10 during the season while Crailsheim were one of the darlings of the 2019-20 season with a 15-6 record. But Göttingen pulled off the upset in Group A, which also includes hosts FC Bayern Munich, ratiopharm ulm and EWE Baskets Oldenburg. The top four teams advance to the playoffs.
Mihaljo Andric scored 18 points while Alex Ruoff came up with a strong double-double of 12 points and 10 assists for Göttingen, who next take on Oldenburg on June 10. Crailsheim, who next face Bayern on Monday, were led by Javonte Hawkins with 17 points while Sebastian Herrera had 15 points and DeWayne Russell was held to 3 points on 1-of-9 shooting.
The first points of the tournament went to Hundt of Göttingen, with the youngster nailing a three-pointer. Ruoff also hit from long range and Göttingen went up 8-2 while Crailsheim hit just 1-of-5 shots early on. Göttingen continued to take care of the ball and nail three-pointers – hitting 5-of-10 from long range in the first quarter for a 29-20 lead after 10 minutes.
Hundt nailed another triple early in the second quarter and the gap grew to 40-29. Hawkins, who scored 16.4 points a game during the season, finally scored his first points after nearly 16 minutes and brought Crailsheim to within 40-36. The gap was up to 11 points – 51-38 – with the score 51-42 at the break.
Crailsheim finished off a 10-0 run spanning the second and third quarters to get within 51-48. Hundt and Ruoff countered with treys and a 57-48 advantage though Göttingen was struggling a bit on offense compared to the first half. Still, the lead was 68-59 after 30 minutes.
Göttingen pushed the lead to 72-59 while Russell and Hawkins were both battling injuries for Crailsheim, who got a triple from Hawkins to pull within 75-69. Terry Allen continued Göttingen’s hot outside shooting and Mihaljo Andric added another triple to keep Crailsheim at an arm’s length. And Hundt picked up two more baskets to finish off his great day.
Quote: Bennet Hundt: “I felt good from the beginning. The first three-pointer fell and it just rolled. But I think we moved the ball well so that I got open shots. We wanted to stay aggressive in the second half, control the rebounds and we did that.”
Göttinen head caoch Johan Roijakkers: “I was surprised with the level we played in the first half: really good ball movement, really good team play … second half was a little up and down from both teams. I think that had to do with the fitness of course. But I think we had a little bit better fitness than Crailsheim.”
(About Bennet Hundt): “He was in the gym twice a day. He did everything individually. It’s no coincidence. When you work hard you get something like this. He has a high understanding of the game and when you combine that with work ethic. He has big balls. It doesn’t matter who he plays against. He’s pretty cocky on the court. Off the court, he’s a small teddy bear. We are very happy with Bennet. A great guy. When someone works so hard, you are happy for him.”
