Bamberg, Melli bury Maccabi and losing streak

Brose Bamberg broke its series of big leads that resulting in heartbreaking losses with style on Wednesday by steamrolling host Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 70-85. With its first road win this season, Bamberg broke a five-game losing streak and lifted its record to 3-8 while Maccabi fell to 5-6. Nicolo Melli led the charge with career highs of 27 points, 14 rebounds, 6 three-pointers and a performance index rating of 40! After seven players shared 9-for-14 three-point shooting in the first half, Bamberg tied its club record in EuroLeague play by making 13 of 27 from downtown, or 48.1%. Darius Miller added 12 points and Leon Radosevic 11 while Nikos Zisis dished 9 assists for the winners. Andrew Goudelock had 20 points, Sonny Weems 16 and Colton Iverson 10 for Maccabi, which went scoreless during the first 4 minutes of the first quarter and the first 3 of the second, after which it never got closer to the lead than 8 points.

Melli struck from downtown to open the scoring then added a two-pointer to make it 0-5. Fabien Causeur fed Radosevic for a layup before Maccabi, after 7 missed shots, got a triple from Devin Smith. Causeur answered with a three-pointer but Iverson scored twice inside, Victor Rudd fed Smith for another open shot from the arc, and suddenly Maccabi was tied 10-10. Maodo Lo entered and hit a high layup for Bamberg, but Smith matched it with a finger roll and Goudelock supplied Maccabi's first lead with free throws, 14-12. Bamberg clearly didn't like that, so Janis Strelnieks and Lo buried back-to-back threes to retake a 14-18 edge. Lo was back to finish the quarter with a buzzer-beater in transition to make it 16-20 after 10 minutes. Maccabi started the second quarter with 2 turnovers while Daniel Theis made a jumper and assisted to Patrick Heckmann at 16-24. Theis then rejected Weems inside and blasted a triple at the other end for the first double-digit lead, 16-27. After 3 scoreless minutes, Weems scored a layup, but Heckmann answered from deep and then Melli copied him on a perfect swish to make it 18-33. Bamberg had hit 7 of 10 three-pointers by then. Iverson and Guy Pnini hit 5 of 7 free throws for the hosts but then Miller came alive with 2 jumpers inside the arc and another beyond it as Bamberg raced ahead 23-40. Maik Zirbes got his first basket for Maccabi but then committed his third foul. Goudelock's next 4 perfect free throws got Maccabi within 27-41 but Miller was unstoppable from the arc and Melli was left completely alone for another triple as Bamberg rolled to a 30-46 halftime lead.

Another three-pointer by Mell opened the second half, and though Goudelock answered with his own, Melli was left open again there to make it 33-52. Weems detonated an alley-oop dunk before Radosevic did the same and made a tip-in for the first 20-point lead, 35-56. When Goudelock beat the shot-clock buzzer, Theis made another tip-in. Weems joined the back and forth with a jumper and a slam before Goudelock hit from the arc at 44-60, forcing a Bamberg timeout. Rudd found his range from downtown and Yogev Ohayon followed him to cut the difference to 50-62. Rudd hit a layup to finish the third quarter as Goudelock did to start the fourth by lowering the difference to single digits, 54-62. Radosevic answered with a layup and Melli backed down the smaller D.J. Seeley to make it 54-66. Goudelock blasted in for another layup but Melli backed down and scored again before Miller dropped a jumper at 56-71. Oyahon and Weems reduced the difference to 62-73 with 5 minutes left. Weems made it single digits with free throws but soon Strelnieks broke a double-team to score a layup. Rudd's baseline jumper kept Maccabi within 66-75. Theis found a cutting Causeur alone for a layup for another double-digit difference, 66-77, with 2:12 to play. Causeur strolled in for another layup that drew disapproval from the crowd for Maccabi's lack of defense. Then Melli made sure with his fifth and sixth triples in the final 75 seconds as the visitors refused to let this one slip away.