Renfroe's game-winner lifts Bayern on the road

FC Bayern Munich started the Eurocup Last 32 with a coveted road win by outlasting host Banvit Bandirma by 83-85 in a Group G thriller on Wednesday. Alex Renfroe's second-chance basket with 4 seconds left proved the game-winner after Dominique Johnson's triple a half-minute earlier had tied the game. Renfroe and Paul Zipser, with 14 points each, led six double-digit Bayern scorers. Dusko Savanovic and Bryce Taylor added 12 apiece, Gavel Anton and Deon Thompson 10 each. Johnson and Adrien Moerman scored 17 each for Banvit and Courtney Fortson 12, but A.J. Slaughter's three-point try to win the game at the buzzer missed and left the hosts empty-handed.

Johnson's 5 points and assist on Moerman's three-pointer shot Bandirma ahead until Renfroe and Gavel buried back-to-back triples for Bayern's first lead, 8-10. Moerman answered from deep to take it back and his two-pointer eventually had Bandirma up 19-16. But four Bayern players filled a 0-9 run as the visitors took a 22-25 advantage after 10 minutes. Keith Simmons, Fortson and Slaughter restored the Banvit's lead to 31-28 early in the second quarter, but this time five Bayern contributors to an 0-10 run put the visitors in charge. Savanovic took over then with 5 points to forge a double-digit lead, 32-43. Moerman trimmed it to 37-43 with his third three-pointer, but Thompson finished the half with two baskets as Bayern hit the lockers ahead by 37-47.

Savanovic's three-pointer soon after the break gave Bayern its biggest lead yet, 41-54. Despite Gaspar Vidmar joining a resurgent Moerman in scoring for Banvit, the double-digit lead remained until Forston and Johnson shared all the points in a 12-4 run to pull the hosts within 63-68 after three quarters. Banvit's comeback was complete when a triple by Simmons and 3 points the hard way by Nusret Yildirim took over the lead at 71-68 early in the fourth. Bayern retaliated with Taylor, Zipser, Renfroe and Savanovic scoring the next 11 points as the visitors held Banvit scoreless for almost 5 minutes until Jackie Carmichael made a basket at 73-79. The momentum swung to Banvit now as Yildirim's triple and Moerman's basket off a steal by Johnson cut the difference to 80-81. Out of a Bayern timeout, Renfroe's second-chance basket meant that when Johnson responded from downtown with 34 seconds left, the scoreboard showed an 83-83 tie. After another Bayern timeout, and another offensive rebound, Renfroe scored again with 4 seconds left. Banvit took a chance to win it, but Slaughter's three-pointer missed and the victory escaped to Munich.