Osetowski powers Ulm to second straight win

Dylan Osetowski turned in a dominant performance to lead ratiopharm Ulm to an 88-76 victory over Germani Brescia on Tuesday at ratiopharm arena. Osetowski went for 32 points and 7 rebounds to lead Ulm, which won its second straight game and improved to 3-4 in the Group B standings. John Petrucelli added 13 points and 8 rebounds and Per Guenther scored 12 off the bench for the victors. Kenny Chery paced the Brescia attack with 15 points and 5 assists. Teenager Giordano Bortolani added 12 points, TJ Cline tallied 11 points and 8 rebounds and Brian Sacchetti contributed 10 points and 16 minutes. The loss pushed Brescia to the bottom of the group with a 1-5 record.

Osetowski scored the first two baskets of the game in the paint for Ulm before Bortolani got the visitors going. Aric Holman stepped up with a put-back slam and a steal to fuel the hosts. A Chery triple gave Brescia its first lead, 9-11. Osetowski drew fouls on the next two possessions and drained the resulting 4 free throws to give him 11 first-quarter points and Ulm a 13-11 edge. Brescia closed within 19-18 after 10 minutes after a last-second layup by Dusan Ristic. Andreas Obst started the second quarter with a three that triggered what became a 9-0 run for a 28-18 lead. Troy Caupain pushed the margin to 35-22, but the Brescia big men Ristic and Cline soon trimmed the deficit to 38-29. A three by Petrucelli and a layup by Osetowski ensured the hosts held a comfortable lead at the halftime break, 43-30.

Osetowski's third three of the game extended the margin to 16. Brescia roared back through Cline and Chery to get within 48-39. Bortolani drained a pair of threes that further closed the margin to 53-37. After a timeout by Ulm, Osetowski connected again from deep before sinking free throws to restore a double-digit lead. Brescia refused to give up; free throws by Sacchetti made it 65-57 through three quarters. The same player netted free throws to start the fourth and bring Brescia within 6. A three-point play by Christian Burns further trimmed the margin before a three-pointer by David Moss made it 74-70. In between, Obst fouled out. The Brescia comeback continue when Caupain committed an unsportsmanlike foul on Moss, who netted the resulting free throws. Petrucelli came through for the hosts with a clutch triple, Guenther added free throws and Osetowski scored to make it 81-72 with 2 and a half minutes to play, which all but wrapped up an Ulm victory.

Key run

Brescia trailed by as many as 16, but made a fourth-quarter run in which David Moss played a big role. The veteran forward hit a three-pointer and then drew an unsportsmanlike foul to bring Brescia within 74-72 with the ball with 5 and a half minutes to go. However, Luca Vitali turned the ball over and John Petrucelli hit a three-pointer to trigger a 7-0 Ulm spurt and Brescia never got closer than 7 again.

Star of the night

Dylan Osetowski had no equal on the floor Tuesday as he shined with 32 points and 7 rebounds. The big man shot 5 for 7 on two-pointers and 4 for 5 on threes. He tied a club record for free-throw accuracy by making 10 foul shots without a miss. Add to that an assist and a steal and he posted a performance index rating of 41, which tied Raymar Morgan's club record. His 32 points were 1 behind the Ulm scoring record set by Zoran Dragic last season. Osetowski's PIR was the most by any player this season, his scoring was third-best this season and his free-throw tally tied for the second-most without a miss in the EuroCup this season.

Telling numbers

Ulm dominated the rebounding battle 40-27. The hosts took 15 offensive rebounds and scored 21 second-chance points. Brescia only took 18 defensive boards and the visitors came up with just 13 second-chance points. Ulm also has more than twice as many steals (9) as Brescia (4).

What's next?

Ulm will be back in action for Round 8 on Tuesday, November 17 when it visits Boulogne Metropolitans 92. Brescia will host Mornar Bar the following evening.