Bryant, Renfroe lead Bayern to road win over Khimki

FC Bayern Munich got back to its winning ways and bolstered its Top 16 chances with a resounding 70-81 road win over Khimki Moscow Region in the Round 7 opener on Thursday. Bayern not only swept the regular season series against Khimki, but also snapped its three-game losing streak and improved its record to 3-4 record in Group A, while Khimki dropped to 4-3 and remains in the sole possession of second place. During the 40 minutes, Bayern only briefly trailed early in the first quarter, before John Bryant fueled a run that built a 14-23 lead, and three consecutive triples late in the second quarter helped Bayern to a 30-42 halftime margin. Khimki melted the deficit after the break, but never got closer than 54-59. Alex Renfroe strung together 7 points in the fourth and Bryant finished off the hosts as he paced Bayern with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Renfroe finished with 14 points, Dusko Savanovic chipped in with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, while Paul Zipser added 10 points in victory. James Augustine collected 14 points and 8 rebounds for Khimki. Zoran Dragic and Petteri Koponen netted 11 apiece, while Sergey Monia scored 10 in a losing effort.

First quarter: John Bryant pushes Bayern into early lead

Bryce Taylor drove for a layup to open the scoring and Savanovic made 3 of 3 from the foul line, giving Bayern a 0-5 start. Khimki went almost three minutes without a basket, but Tyrese Rice and Monia each hit a triple to make it 8-5. The visitors quickly restored their lead, as Deon Thompson made a short turnaround jumper and Zipser finished a fast break with a dunk, 8-11. After a timeout, Koponen nailed a corner triple, but Zipser knocked down a long baseline jumper, and added two pairs of free throws, stringing together 6 points and making it 11-17. Bryant made a layup, forcing a Khimki timeout, and after Tyler Honeycutt buried a triple, Bryant scored inside and then made a short jumper to make it 14-23 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: The visitors build a double-digit lead

Alexey Shved assisted Augustine for a layup at the start of the quarter. Nihad Djedovic answered with a layup of his own, and after Augustine’s put-back, K.C. Rivers hit a short jumper and Savanovic added to the visitors’ tally, opening up a double-digit lead, 18-29. Dragic banked in a triple on the other end, and after a put-back from Augustine, Dragic made a driving layup that capped an 8-0 run and got Khimki within 26-29. However, Rivers scored a fastbreak layup for the visitors, and Dragic had one for Khimki. After a Bayern timeout, Djedovic nailed a three-pointer, and Bayern held the hosts without a basket for more than three minutes, while Bryant and Renfroe knocked down back-to-back threes to open a 14-point lead, 28-42. In the final minute, Augustine’s layup snapped a 0-9 run, and made it 30-42 at halftime.

Third quarter: Bayern stays in front

Taylor’s free throws started the quarter before Koponen hit a triple. Djedovic nailed a jumper for Bayern , and after Augustine scored inside, Renfroe banked in a runner. After almost two minutes without a score, Renfroe banked in another runner, pushing the margin to 35-50 midway through the third. Monia had a put-back-plus-foul that cut the deficit to 10 points, but Thompson hit a jumper that made it 40-52. Marko Todorovic scored a layup, and after Zipser hit a long jumper, Egor Vyaltsev replied with a triple, 45-54. Thompson hit another long jumper for Bayern, and Rivers buried a three-pointer, restoring a 14-point margin. However, Khimki scored the last 6 points of the quarter, as Augustine scored inside, and Koponen made a runner that cut it to 51-59 after three quarters.

Fourth quarter: Renfroe helps Bayern put the game away

Rice’s three-pointer opened the quarter, but Renfroe banked in another runner and followed it with a triple to open another double-digit lead, 54-64. Renfroe continued his own 0-7 run with free throws, before Koponen snapped it with a three-pointer. But Bayern kept making defensive plays, not allowing another point for almost three minutes, while consecutive layups from Savanovic and Bryant opened a 57-70 margin. After a timeout, Augustine had a tip-in, but Bryant answered with a put-back. Monia kept Khimki’s hopes alive with a baseline jumper, but Bryant made a pair of foul shots. Shved scored a fastbreak layup that cut the deficit to 64-74 with 2:27 to go, but the hosts scored only 1 point on their next three possessions, while Taylor drove for a layup, before Bryant made a second-chance dunk with 53 seconds remaining, essentially sealing the outcome.