Kramer, Qvale lift Oldenburg past Bonn

In a critical, all-German showdown in Group A, EWE Baskets Oldenburg improved its chances to reach the Last 32 by downing Telekom Baskets Bonn 77-70 at home on Wednesday. Oldenburg improved to 3-3 while Bonn dropped to 2-4. Chris Kramer and Brian Qvale led the winners with 14 points each. Rickey Paulding added 11 for Oldenburg. Aaron White led Bonn with 15 points. Rotnei Clarke added 13 while Eugene Lawrence and Dirk Madrich each had 12 for the guests. Clarke and Lawrence shined early, allowing Bonn to get a 17-19 lead after 10 minutes. Tadas Klimavicius led a 0-6 run which boosted his team's lead to 23-30. Paulding rescued Oldenburg and got help from Nemanja Aleksandrov to give the hosts a 39-34 lead at halftime. White kept Bonn within 51-48 late in the third quarter but consecutive three-pointers by Philipp Schwethelm boosted Oldenburg's lead to 59-51 after 30 minutes. Bonn got within 74-69 already in the final minute but a three-pointer by Scott Machado sealed the outcome.

Kramer was the first player to score and Paulding soon added his own basket but three-pointers by Jimmy McKinney and Lawrence soon gave Bonn a 4-6 lead. Kramer joined the three-point shootout and bettered Lawrence's basket with another triple for a 10-8 Oldenburg lead. White and Vaughn Duggins exchanged baskets and a triple by Clarke put Bonn back ahead, 12-13. Madrick also struck from downtown but a three-point play by Aleksandrov and a basket by Machado restored a 17-16 Oldenburg lead. A three-pointer by Clarke put Bonn back ahead, 17-19, after 10 minutes. Back-to-back baskets by Madrich gave the guests a 19-23 margin early in the second quarter. Qvale quickly answered with consecutive baskets but Klimavicius had 4 points in a 0-6 run which boosted Bonn's margin to 23-30. Oldenburg called timeout and got 5 unanswered points from Paulding. By the time Paulding scored again, the game was tied at 32-32. Lawrence hit free throws but a 7-0 run which Aleksandrov capped with a triple gave the hosts a 39-34 edge at halftime.

Andrej Mangold and Qvale traded baskets right after the break and Madrich kept Bonn as close as 41-39. Machado hit free throws and Qvale scored around the basket but White singlehandedly kept the guests in the game, 45-42. Aleksandrov and Klemen Prepelic hit free throws and Qvale scored again but three-pointers by Clarke and Michal Chylinski brought Bonn as close as 51-48. Robin Smuelders scored down low and Schwethelm struck twice from downtown - beating the third-quarter buzzer with his second one for a 59-51 Oldenburg margin after 30 minutes. Qvale stepped up with a layup early in the fourth quarter which Lawrence erased with a backdoor basket. A driving layup by Madrich made Oldenburg call timeout at 61-56. Kramer rescued the hosts with a triple but Lawrence answered from downtown to keep Bonn alive, 64-59. Prepelic hit one from beyond the arc and free throws by Smuelders made it a double-digit game, 69-59, with 4 minutes left. Chylinski and Clarke managed to bring Bonn within 74-69 already in the final minute but a step-back triple by Machado sealed the outcome.