GER – Gavel, Bamberg pull away from Artland in second half of semi-final opener

BAMBERG (Beko BBL) - Brose Baskets Bamberg drew first blood in their German play-off semi-final against Artland on Tuesday and won for the fourth time in as any post-season games with an 85-73 home triumph.

Chris Fleming’s side stormed into a 30-12 lead by the end of the first quarter, only for the Dragons to hit right back and trail 40-38 at half-time.

Anton Gavel scored seven of his team-high 17 points early in the third quarter as Bamberg reclaimed control of the game and when Gavel connected from long range at the beginning of the fourth, the Bamberg advantage ballooned to 69-51.

They cruised the rest of the way.

Fleming, the head coach of Bamberg, felt his team reacted well after the Artland second-quarter comeback when they outscored the hosts 26-10 to trail by just two at the break.

"In the second half, we responded well," he said.

"We are generally satisfied with the performance and look forward to Game 2."

The Dragons know they will need much better performances to have a chance against a side that has been the best in Germany this season.

Stefan Koch, the Artland coach, said: "We must be realistic. Bamberg has played three quarters better than us."

Unlike Bamberg, who needed just three games to win their first round play-off series against Bremerhaven, Artland had to survive a five-game series against New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig.

"It has been noted that we had only one day to prepare for this game," Koch said, "so it was basic tactics.

"We have to work on this in the coming games."

The other semi-final between Deutsche Bank Skyliners and Alba Berlin tips off on Wednesday night in Frankfurt.

FIBA