The Science City Jena basketball team celebrated its second straight victory. The Thuringians won the Central German derby against the Niners Chemnitz, 82–76 (40–38). Jemarl Lemuel Baker Jr. (22), Terrence Edwards Jr. (12), and Ira Lee (10). For the Saxons, Nighael Ceaser (16), Ben Burnham, Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (14 each), and Stefan Smith (12) scored the most points. On Thursday, the team led by Jena coach Steven Esterkamp celebrated their first win of the season with a 79–71 (36–32) victory over Rasta Vechta. In the first two quarters, neither team was able to pull away decisively. The lead changed hands twelve times, and the score was tied seven times. The hosts got off to a better start in the third quarter, leading 61–50 in the 28th minute. But Chemnitz managed to close the gap once more to 62–59 (32nd minute). With a 13–0 run to make it 75–59 (36th minute), the Thuringians decided the derby in their favor, benefiting from their better shooting percentage (48% to 44%) and their dominance under the basket (45 rebounds to 32). Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
