Former UConn Star Scores 25 Points In Thrilling Upset Win Over European Power
UConn Huskies past and present seem to have a hand in winning basketball games, no matter where you look around the world.
Thursday was an exciting basketball night in Munich, as Bayern Munich debuted their new arena Olympiapark with a massive showdown against European powerhouse Real Madrid. Bayern were heavy underdogs, but a former UConn guard led them to an uplifting 97-89 victory.
Shabazz Napier, a two-time NCAA champion with the Huskies, led all scorers in the game with 25 points, including some clutch buckets down the stretch for Bayern Munich. Napier is already making a vital impact for Bayern at the start of his first season with the team.
An update from Bayern Munich’s official website provided a recap of the game.
“In a thrilling premiere at the new Olympiapark arena, Bayern’s basketball team overwhelmed EuroLeague favorites Real Madrid with an outstanding performance,” the recap said. “(Head coach) Gordon Herbert's team delivered an inspiring display in a high-class duel.”
"Bayern's top scorers were guard Napier (25), world champion Voigtmann (19/5 three-pointers), and Edwards (14). The German champions made 15 three-pointers."
Bayern also released quotes following the victory from some of its players, including Napier.
"It was fantastic to play against one of the best teams in Europe today,” Napier said. “The fans did a fantastic job and pushed us to victory. Even when things weren’t going well and we were tired, we stuck together. We did a great job in the fourth quarter. It was simply a great team effort today.”
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org