Bayern blasts Jerusalem on record scoring night

FC Bayern Munich remained unbeaten through eight games in the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season with a 111-85 home victory over Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem. Danilo Barthel’s 21 points paced five players in double figures for Bayern, which already locked up first place in Group B Tuesday thanks to other results. Bayern set club records for scoring and team performance index rating (141) and tied its record with 29 free throws made. Jared Cunningham added 19 points, Maik Zirbes 18, Nihad Dedovic 12 and Braydon Hobbs collected 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists as the German powerhouse improved to 8-0. Jerusalem, which was playing without top big man Richard Howell, fell to 2-6. Stratos Perperoglou tied his career high with 19 points while Tarence Kinsey also had 19 in the defeat. Kalin Lucas picked up 13 points and 8 assists, Jerome Dyson had 11 points and Ronald Roberts added 10 points and 9 rebounds.

After Zirbes opened the scoring for Bayern, Perperoglou knocked down a three-pointer for Jerusalem’s first - and only - lead 2-3. Cunningham and Reggie Redding followed with back-to-back triples in starting a 17-3 run to make it 19-6. After another Cunningham three pushed the margin to 15 points, Perperoglou hit a second three-pointer. But the Bayern Express kept going with Dedovic’s layup giving the hosts a 28-11 cushion. Perperoglou and Austin Daye finished the first quarter with threes to make it 30-19 after 10 minutes. Hobbs controlled the proceedings early in the second quarter with a basket and assist for a Devin Booker dunk and a 34-19 lead. Yogev Ohayon finally got Jerusalem on the board in the quarter, but Booker’s free throws moved the cushion to 40-23. Kinsey tallied twice to try to keep Jerusalem close only to see Milan Macvan and Zirbes pick up 9 points in an 11-3 spurt to open the advantage to 21 points. Bar Timor and Perperoglou were able to hit from long range down the stretch and Jerusalem trailed 53-38 at the intermission.

Cunningham had two baskets to keep the lead comfortable and Macvan’s jumper left Bayern up 65-51. But Lucas took over with 8 points before Perperoglou’s layup finished a 5-15 Jerusalem run to trim the deficit to 70-66. Hobbs nailed a three-pointer out of a Bayern timeout and Barthel hit 6 straight points in an 11-0 Bayern run to re-establish a 15-lead lead. It was 82-68 after 30 minutes. Perperoglou started the fourth quarter and got the gap to 12, but Bayern reclaimed control of the game with Barthel picking up 8 points in an 18-3 surge for a 100-73 lead. There was only four minutes left in the game and not even 5 points from Kinsey could get Jerusalem much closer down the final minutes of the blowout.