Brose Baskets claim BBL Champions Cup

Brose Baskets Bamberg (Germany-BBL) are tipping off their 2015/16 on the right note. They bagged the BBL Champions Cup to usher in the new season. The defending 2015 German Bundesliga champions were impressive in their dominant 87-66 win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg. All eyes will be on them as one of the teams to beat for the upcoming season, and of course on their part their focus will be on a repeat as league champions this 2016.

The club from Bamberg looked like they were in regular-season form as they displayed smart offensive execution. From the get-go they established control of the game and came out ahead with a 23-17 lead at the end of the first period. They bust the game wide open in the second frame as they went on a torrid shooting spree and headed into the locker room with a comfortable 46-23 lead.

Not resting on their laurels after a strong first half, Brose Baskets continued to pour it on in the third quarter and EWE Baskets were unable to answer the onslaught. Brose Baskets played smartly from start to finish and did not let up on defense, limiting Oldenburg to just 13 points in the final period, allowing them to cruise to the win.

Nicolo Melli led Brose Baskets with 17 points and nine rebounds. Nikolaos Zisis and Janis Strelnieks added 14 points each. Brian QVale was the top performer for EWE Baskets with a game-high 20 points, but it was not enough to carry his team against an aggressive opponent such as Brose Baskets.