Basketball Löwen Braunschweig turned the tables after a narrow 94-90 loss in Game 2, defeating FIT/One Würzburg Baskets 80-75 in a Game 3 thriller on May 25, 2025, at the Volkswagen Arena, securing a 2-1 lead in the BBL playoff quarterfinals. In front of 6,358 fans, including German national team captain Dennis Schröder, the Löwen battled back from an early 12-2 deficit to clinch the game in the final minutes, with Arnas Velicka’s clutch three-pointer (78-73) and Chip Flanigan’s free throws sealing the win (per sportschau.de). Game 4 is set for Tuesday, May 27, in Würzburg, with Braunschweig now holding match point.
Würzburg started strong, leading 16-13 after the first quarter, but Braunschweig fought back to trail 37-35 at halftime, setting the stage for a tight second half (per prior recap). The game’s turning point came late, as Hannes Steinbach’s free throws brought Würzburg within 73-71, only for Barra Njie and Velicka to answer, while Sananda Fru’s block on Mike Lewis II proved pivotal (per basketball-loewen.de). Velicka led with 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, earning Player of the Game honors, while Fru posted a double-double (18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks), outshining Steinbach’s 17 points and 8 rebounds in a duel of the league’s top young talents.
The Löwen’s three-point shooting normalized at 32% after a hot start in the series (season average 30.7%), but Velicka’s crucial triple was decisive (per prior web results). Pre-game, coach Jesús Ramírez was named Coach of the Year, and Fru received the Best Young Player U22 award, adding to the electric atmosphere (per sportschau.de). With a potential series-clinching Game 4 in Würzburg’s tectake ARENA, followed by a possible Game 5 in Braunschweig on May 29, the Löwen are poised to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2010, while Würzburg fights to stay alive.
Posted on May 25, 2025
