Ulm drains 16 triples to down unbeaten Nanterre

Ratiopharm Ulm hit 16 three-pointers in downing previously unbeaten JSF Nanterre 86-72, and avenging last week’s loss. Both teams hold 3-1 record atop of Group I, but the French champ holds a tie-break advantage thanks to 95-77 win last week in the first head-to-head clash. Ulm hit 7 triples in the first quarter to take the lead for good, but pulled away after the break with a help of a 17-4 run that got the hosts to 70-50 after 30 minutes. With tiebreaker at stake, lead grew to 81-60, but the visitors put together a late 0-8 run, cutting the margin below the magic number of 18. Philipp Schwethelm scored 21 points on 6 of 10 from behind the arc to lead in victory. Will Clyburn had 14 points plus 7 rebounds, Edgar Sosa netted 13 points, Per Guenther 11, and Trent Plaisted contributed with 10 in victory. Kevin Lisch scored 15 points, Will Daniels had 13 points plus 7 rebounds, while David Lighty, Sergii Gladyr and Deshaun Thomas had 10 apiece in defeat.

Gladyr hit a jumper and a triple for 2-7. Ulm answered with back-to-back-to-back triples from Guenther, Clyburn and Schwethelm, and Clyburn added another one from downtown couple minutes later, but Lisch scored 8 points on the other end, including a pair of threes for 14-15. Before quarter’s end, Lighty made a pair of baskets for Nanterre, but the hosts went ahead again with back-to-back triples from Schwethelm, and Adam Hess added one from long range for 27-19 after 10 minutes. Thomas and Lisch cut the deficit at the start of the second, before Johan Passave and Daniels had layups for Nanterre, but the hosts went to the foul line often, making 7 of 10 from the charity stripe for 36-32. Mam Jaiteh got Nanterre within 1 point, but Guenther hit from downtown, before more free throws gave the hosts 43-37 halftime edge.

Ulm started pulling away at the start of the third. A pair of put-backs from Clyburn, and back-to-back triples from Schwethelm opened 53-42 lead. Guenther hit from downtown, too, before back-to-back dunks from Plaisted opened 60-44. Nanterre struggled from the floor, until Lisch scored a layup with a minute left in the quarter. Meanwhile, Daniel Theis had a triple and a dunk, and Sosa buried a three-pointer as Ulm took 70-50 into the final quarter. Daniels and Thomas got the visitors to 71-56 at the start of the fourth, but Schwethelm hit his sixth triple, and Sosa added one of his own for 81-60. With tie-break margin of 18 points on minds of all the players, Thomas and Daniels fueled Nanterre’s run of 8 straight points. Sosa hit another shot from behind the arc to give Ulm 16-points lead, but Trenton Meacham and Thomas scored on the ensuing two visitors’ possessions to make sure margin stays below 18 points.