After a disastrous start into the season where TV Langen lost 7 of their first 8 games, the club led by head coach Tobias Jahn have finally found on track. The team had serious injury woes to start the season and had guys come in and out and just couldn´t find a rhythm early on. Despite having guys out now, the club has been able to adjust and build chemistry which had led to a 4 game winning streak. The team has especially come together as a unit on the defensive end allowing only 68 points on average in the win streak. They welcomed BBC Coburg who came into the game ranked first in the Pro B south with a 9-3 record. They began the season hot winning 9 of their first 10 games, but came to Langen sporting a 2 game losing streak. TV Langen had to be fully prepared and awake and wanted to continue their winning streak, but a few days before Xmas BBC Coburg stopped TV Langen´s winning streak and began a new winning streak winning 83-76. It was a game at eye level for 36 minutes, but in crunch-time it was Dylan Fasoyiro who took control of the game finding his teammates while getting to the free throw line to secure the win. “We showed tremendous grit tonight. We had a 2 game losing streak and lost our point guard Nico Wenzl who came into the game not totally fit and then hurt his wrist during the game. I had to play point guard. Team defense was our biggest strength. We aren´t the best 1-1 defensive team, but came together as a team. We helped each other out. This was a great team win”, stressed BBC Coburg guard Dylan Fasoyiro. TV Langen stayed with BBC Coburg for the most part of the game, but it was the little things in crunch-time that cost them the game. “We started off slow, but came together and fought our way back into the game. I think that our defense was solid. It was more missed shots and turnovers. We have to be better in the decision making”, stressed TV Langen forward Jacob Washington.

Nico Wenzl at the FT line

The first quarter was a tale of 2 parts as BBC Coburg came out strong, but TV Langen found to their game and had Alexander Lagerman who carried the team and trailed only by 3 points after 10 minutes. BBC Coburg rushed out on a rapid 7-2 lead and soon extended it to 11-4. American 2 way player Darius Dawson was aggressive and scored twice on the drive while ex Erfurt forward Tim Herzog dropped a trey while Canadian Dylan Fasoyiro also connected from the parking lot. TV Langen came out sluggish and seemed to have gotten off the wrong side of the bed. Their 1-1 defense wasn´t on par as they couldn´t match BBC Coburg´s intensity yet. TV Lagen has a special microwave in Alexander Lagerman and he gives the word scoring in bunches a new meaning. He scored 5 unanswered points as TV Langen trailed only 11-9. However BBC Coburg continued to execute easily as Fasoyiro added 3 points and Herzog another trey to lead 17-9. However basketball is always a game of runs and TV Langen punched back with an 8-0 run led by Lagerman with 4 more points while team captain Mr triple double Niklas Pons scored on a lay in and California native Jacob Washington also scored on the drive to dead lock the game at 17-17. Lagerman had contributed 9 points, but TV Langen couldn´t hold the momentum as BBC Coburg led 20-17 after 1 quarter thanks to a runner by German Eric Neuenhoeffer. “I feel like we came out solid as a team. We knew that TV Langen would switch a lot. We took advantage of the mismatches and played team defense”, said Dylan Fasoyiro.

Jacob Washington from outside

In the second quarter BBC Coburg tried to get away from TV Langen early, but the home team stayed strong and battled back leading 41-39 at the break. Lagerman started the second quarter firing away and scored with a trey to tie the game at 20-20. It seemed like BBC Coburg kept big man Finn Doentgens out of game in the first quarter to get TV Langen tired and then in the second quarter inserted the 208cm center and prompt he scored back to back baskets while 3×3 world champion Leon Fertig showed his potent 1-1 skills scored twice to tie the game at 24-24. BBC Coburg then attempted to get away from TV Langen with a 5-0 run as ex Bayreuth guard Nico Wenzl dropped a three pointer while Doentgens scored again always taking advantage of the mismatch as BBC Coburg led 29-24. However TV Langen had no real lulls on their offensive execution as they fired back with a 10-4 run to take their first lead of the game at 34-33. Instrumental in the run was work horse Jacob Washington who once battled Franz Wagner scored 8 points including 2 three´s. German Leon Fertig also added a turn around shot. From now until the break, the game remained at eye level as no team could secure another run. BBC Coburg retrieved the lead again as Fasoyiro took a runner for the 39-36 advantage. Wenzl had left the game, because of a hurt wrist and Fasoyiro suddenly was the point guard. With less than a minute to go, TV Langen still had some extra energy and got a lay in by Lagerman who tied the game at 39-39. Doentgens then coughed up the ball and Washington made a tip in at the buzzer securing the TV Langen 2 point lead at the break. Both teams were shooting over 50% from the 2 point range while TV Langen had the slim 16-15 rebound edge while BBC Coburg had 12 turnovers and TV Langen only 9. “We let them come back. They killed us on the offensive glass. We had a good flow on offense switching a lot and played through Doentgens and got movement on the weak side”, stressed Dylan Fasoyiro.

Finn Doentgens with the lay in

Coburg played their best defensive quarter in the third allowing only 13 points, but couldn´t get away as TV Langen was solid on defense allowing 20 points, but trailed 59-54 after 30 minutes. TV Langen began with a bang as Washington got going scoring 5 unanswered points for the 46-39 lead. However BBC Bayreuth had grit and clenched their teeth together and strung along 3 stops and scored 8 unanswered points to lead 48-46. TV Langen were sloppy on 1-1 defense allowing 2 Fasoyiro buckets and two from South Carolina native Darius Dawson. TV Langen stopped the run with 4 consecutive points with Lagerman free throws and a Washington lay in for the 50-48 lead. However BBC Coburg remained strong and buckled down on defense and their offense strung along a 11-4 run to lead by 5 points after 3 quarters. In the BBC Coburg run, it was Fasoyiro who was a total beast scoring 7 points. There was no stopping him. Dawson also added a pretty hook shot and Doentgens a turn around shot. Leon Fertig will always dazzle you with great shots every game and practice and in this run added a 360 shot. “That shot was normal. We see that from him all the time. We know what he can do”, said Jacob Washington. BBC Coburg shot 63% from the 2 point area and 40% from the parking lot and had 24 rebounds and 13 turnovers while TV Langen shot 64% from the 2 point area and 22% from outside and had 24 rebounds and 11 turnovers. “We knew that we had to step up our team defense. Our help team defense was good. We got stops and limited their second chances”, stated Dylan Fasoyiro. “We missed shots and they made shots. We have to find a way to finish the easy stuff”, added Jacob Washington.

Leon Fertig at the FT line

TV Langen fought back in the fourth quarter to tie the game, but Dylan Fasoyiro gave BBC Coburg the lead again and the team then managed the lead well and then got key free throws down the stretch from Fasoyiro to gain the win. Finn Doentgens began the fourth quarter with a lay in to give BBC Coburg the comfortable 61-54 advantage. However TV Langen stayed mentally strong and had answers on offense as Lagerman remained aggressive and found ways to score on 2 tough drives while Fertig added 4 free throws to tie the game at 62-62. After a thunderous Dawson dunk, Leon Fertig hit another one of his patent off balance shots and made a free throw for the 65-64 TV Langen lead. However that would be TV Langen´s last lead as now it was time for Dylan Fasoyiro to take control as he added 5 points for BBC Bayreuth to lead 69-65. ““I told my team that I didn´t want the ball but the win. We were the number 1 team and all that mattered was the win. The ball found me. I have to credit my team”, commented Dylan Fasoyiro. Austrian guard Nico Hollerl added a trey for insurance as TV Langen trailed 73-66. TV Langen didn´t drop dead as they battled and got a wild bank shot from Lagerman and trey from Washington to trail 77-74. However a technical foul from Washington led to a Fasoyiro free throw and 2 free throws by Dawson for the 80-74 advantage with less than a minute to play. Fertig did add a lay in traffic, but Fasoyiro added 3 free throws to seal the victory. “It was the little things that got us the win. Whether it was cutting or being active on the weak side. We did a good job on the boards. We wanted it more than they did”, warned Dylan Washington. “There is a reason why they´re the number 1 team. They made the plays and right decisions down the stretch”, said Jacob Washington. BBC Coburg was led by Dylan Fasoyiro with 33 points. Darius Dawson and Finn Doentgens added 15 points a piece while TV Langen was led by Alex Lagerman with 26 points while Jacob Washington had 24 points. BBC Coburg shot 57% from the field and 40% from outside and had 35 rebounds and 17 turnovers while TV Langen shot 43% from the field and 21%from outside and had 30 rebounds and 13 turnovers.