The German side ended a poor run with a vital victory at Bourg as Trevion Williams shined.
Ulm delivered when it mattered to clinch home-court advantage in the playoffs
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ratiopharm Ulm looked destined for a road game in the first knockout round of the BKT EuroCup after losing five of their previous six games in the competition’s regular season.
However, a Round 18 win at Group B pace-setter Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, 81-85, secured a fourth-placed finish. As such, last year's German League champion will have home-court advantage when the EuroCup Playoffs start on March 5.
Trevion Williams was impressive once again
Among a stack of players who stepped up to the plate at crunch time, 23-year-old center Trevion Williams stood out with 17 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes on the court, having displayed a vast array of skills at both ends.
Williams netted some tough shots down the stretch and racked up the boards tirelessly as Ulm held off a spirited Bourg comeback led by 18-year-old prodigy Zaccharie Risacher, the game’s top scorer with 20 points.
Williams stressed that Ulm’s intensity and die-hard spirit made the difference. “Our energy over the course of the whole game was amazing and it’s something we’ve got to build on,” he said in a flash post-game interview. “I am very proud of the guys and it wasn’t just a good game for me, it was a great game for the whole team."
Visiting coach Anton Gavel was delighted with the outcome but pointed out that his team nearly spilled an 18-point lead. “Congrats to our players, they did a very good job to overcome the runs that Bourg had,” he commented. “We were up by double digits and this is where we have to improve. We’ve got to learn to manage these leads, but we are very happy to have clinched home court advantage in the playoffs.
“It’s been a huge lesson and an experience because we had an 8-3 record at a certain point in time and then lost four in a row, so we are a work in progress. Today we found a way and we’ve got to build on that.”
A frustrating loss for Bourg
The outcome meant the Bourg lost its unbeaten home record in the EuroCup and it was a worrying sign for the home team’s head coach Frederic Fauthoux, who cut an unhappy figure after the final buzzer.
Bourg had earlier clinched the group’s top spot and with it a bye in the first knockout round of the competition, but Fathoux struck a note of caution ahead of the quarterfinals. “For me, the last game is always the most important,” he said. “We didn’t play a good first half and I am not happy because we lacked intensity and didn’t play at a high level.”