U18 Helsinki Basketball Academy collected a victory in its maiden game at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Patras by knocking off the host side U18 Promitheas Patras 72-85 in Group B. The debutant from Finland’s capital hit five three-pointers in a 3-17 start to the fourth quarter to blow the game open. Ville Karhu led Helsinki with 21 points while Miro Little collected 19 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals, Viljami Vartiainen scored 12 points and Tuukka Harsila chipped in 11 points. Tunde Fasasi was Promitheas’ leading scorer with 24 points and Nikolao Plotas added 14 points in the loss.

Helsinki grabs first ANGT win in first game, 72-85

After Fasani had two baskets to give the home side a 4-0 lead, Harsila scored the first points for Helsinki in the history of the competition and Karhu and Vartiainen both knocked down three-pointers for a 5-10 advantage. Promitheas answered with the next eight points to pull back ahead only to have Helsinki reclaim the lead at 16-17. And the score was deadlocked 20-20 after 10 minutes. Neither team was able to pull away in the second quarter though Fasani hit a three-pointer and Nikolao Vasileiou scored four points to make it 30-25. Helinski evened it at 32-32 but the Greek side was up 35-32 at the break.

The third quarter was more of the same but even more back and forth as Helsinki got three-pointers from Harsila, Rasmus Lindberg and Vartiainen while Ilias Kourepis and Fasasi were doing the damage for Promitheas. There were eight lead changes and five ties with the home side leading 61-59 after 30 minutes. Helsinki unleashed a three-point barrage in the fourth quarter with Little hitting back-to-back triples along with single three-pointers from Vartiainen, Karhu and Harsila in building a 64-76 lead with less than 5 minutes left. Promitheas failed to score in the first 4 minutes of the fourth quarter and could not get closer than nine points the rest of the way.

Erik Muhonen - U18 Helsinki Basketball Academy - ANGT Patras (photo Konstantinos Katsiras - Patras) - JT21

U18 Promitheas Patras v U18 Helsinki Basketball Academy (2022-03-25T11:30:00.000Z)

Ville Karhu - U18 Helsinki Basketball Academy - ANGT Patras (photo Konstantinos Katsiras - Patras) - JT21

U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv opened its Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Patras with a convincing 88-55 victory over U18 Olympiacos Piraeus in Group A. Maccabi scored the final 12 points of the first half and was never challenged the rest of the way in holding Olympiacos to just 3-of-23 on three-pointers (13.0%). Ido Iluz scored 16 points to lead Maccabi with Ofri Naveh picking up 14 points and Tomer Agmon adding 10 points in the win. Michael Sprintzios was Olympiacos’ top scorer with 13 points and Apostolos Nikolaidis and Thomas Zorbas both had 11 points in the defeat.

Maccabi eases past Olympiacos in first game, 88-55

Naveh scored the first four points of the game for Maccabi and Sprintzios answered with the next five for Olympiacos. Seven more lead changes followed before Iluz and Omer Mayer hit three-pointers to help Maccabi lead 20-15 after 10 minutes. Roi Behar and Ido Menchel also hit from deep as the Israeli side hit the first eight points of the second quarter to lead 28-15. Veniamin Amposi’s free throws ended a scoreless drought of more than 4 minutes and Sprintzios scored four more points to get Olympiacos within 33-25. But Shachar Doron and Iluz both hit three-pointers in a 12-0 close to the first half to lead 45-25 at the break.


Naveh scored four points in a 6-0 Maccabi run early in the second half to extend the margin to 51-27. Olympiacos tried to fight its way back into the game with Nikolaidis scoring four points but Maccabi had an answer every time and was up 64-38 after 30 minutes. Maccabi started the fourth quarter on a 12-4 run and the game was over for good.

Omer Mayer - U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv - ANGT Patras (photo Konstantinos Katsiras - Patras) - JT21

U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv v U18 Olympiacos Piraeus (2022-03-25T09:30:00.000Z)

Adi Amos - U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv - ANGT Patras (photo Konstantinos Katsiras - Patras) - JT21

U18 FC Barcelona survived a fight in its opening game of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Patras in knocking off debutant U18 ZPA Tbilisi 78-64 in Group A. The 2016 continental champion Barcelona put the game away with a 13-2 run in the fourth quarter and forced the Georgian side into 25 turnovers. Rafa Villar paced four Barcelona players in double figures with 15 points while Andreas Holst scored 13 points, Dayan Nessah collected 12 points and 7 rebounds and Daniel Iruela added 11 points. Giorgi Ochkhikidze led Tbilisi with 19 points and Luka Alavidze picked up 18 points.

Barcelona fights off Tbilisi for opening win

Ochkhikidze hit a three-pointer to score the first points of the tournament - and the first points in the history of the competition for the team. Teodor Simic countered with six points in helping Barcelona build a 10-5 lead. Alavidze had four points at the other end and Tbilisi was within 13-11 before it was trailing 19-12 after 10 minutes. Tbilisi did not go away with Ochkhikidze hitting two more triples and it was 30-29. Barcelona finally was able to pull away a bit with a 16-3 close to the first half as Holst and Nessah combined for 11 points and the Spanish side was up 46-32 at the break.

Barcelona remained in control and was up 56-39 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. Tbilisi tried to make things interesting with eight straight points to close within 56-47 and was down 58-47 after 30 minutes. The Georgian side scored the first points of the fourth quarter to get the deficit down to nine points again but Barcelona reeled off a 13-2 surge to put the game away for good 71-51.

Barcelona fights off Tbilisi for opening win, 78-64

Dayan Nessah - U18 FC Barcelona - ANGT Patras (photo Konstantinos Katsiras - Patras) - JT21

U18 FC Barcelona v U18 ZPA TBILISI (2022-03-25T07:30:00.000Z)

Roger Fabrega - U18 FC Barcelona - ANGT Patras (photo Konstantinos Katsiras - Patras) - JT21

The first-ever Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament qualifier held in Greece starts on Friday, March 25, in Patras. Here are some of the young talents to keep an eye on.

ANGT Patras players to watch

### Teodor Simic, U18 FC Barcelona

Simic will be playing his third ANGT season after he averaged 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists at the ANGT Valencia last season and picked up 8.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists at the ANGT Finals, where Barcelona lost in the ANGT Championship Game to U18 Real Madrid. He also played at the ANGT Valencia in 2019-20. The 2.16 meter center hails from North Macedonia plays for Barcelona’s second team in the fourth division and tallies 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Simic has also already played for the North Macedonia senior national team. He scored 18 points with 2 rebounds against Spain in a FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers game in November 2021. He is a smart player, very balanced and can play in low post, but he also is a good shooter. Simic is improving the use of his body close to the basket to be more dominant and is working on his quickness, which is already not bad for someone for his size.

### Luka Alavidze, U18 ZPA Tbilis

Like his team, Alavidze will be making his first ANGT appearance. He made headlines last summer with Georgia at the FIBA U16 European Challenger, where he averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.2 steals as that tournament's MVP. The 2005-born guard is the youngest player in Georgia's top league, picking up 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 14 minutes a game. His biggest strengths are court vision, basketball IQ and feel for the game. He is a pure point guard who is unselfish and creative. He is working on his strength and conditioning and trying to gain more experience.

### Miro Little, U18 Helsinki Basketball Academy

Like his team, Little will be appearing in the ANGT for the first time. The dynamic point guard played for Finland at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2019 Division B and averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals as a 15-year-old. He made his debut with the Finnish senior national team last month in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers, scoring 5 points with 3 rebounds and 6 assists in 19 minutes over two games. He is currently averaging 21.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.6 steals in Finland's second division. Little has outstanding athleticism and a strong body but he is still working on his decision-making.

### Beniamin Amposi, U18 Olympiacos Piraeus

A 2006-born wing, Amposi will make his ANGT debut as one of the younger players in Patras. He averages 5.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in the Greek U18 league. He can handle the ball and run plays as a point guard. Amposi's athleticism makes him a great defender and shot-blocker who can cover space and deflect balls. One of his strengths on offense is his transition game, where he can go coast to coast and finish or create for teammates. He can flourish in set offenses as well, finishing with drives at the rim or floaters and mid-range jumpers. Amposi still must improve his consistency from three-point range.

### Nikos Vasileiou, U18 Promitheas Patras

Vasileiou will be playing in the ANGT for a second time. The 2005-born guard played 3 minutes in one game at the ANGT Munich in 2019-20. Vasileiou played in three EuroCup games in 2020-21, collecting 11 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 55 minutes. The combo guard also has two EuroCup appearances this season, including scoring 5 points with 2 assists in Round 9 against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. Vasileiou is a good passer and a great shooter with a good feel for the game. Vasileiou knows how to move without the ball and make strong cuts to the basket. He is a good defender who can switch and guard multiple positions thanks to his good size. He must improve on his shot off the dribble and be more aggressive offensively.

### Fabrizio Pugliatti, U18 Stellazzurra Rome

Pugliatti will be playing in his second ANGT after having collected 5.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals at the Istanbul qualifier last year. He went on to post 6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists at the ANGT Finals. The 2.00-meter playmaker is contributing 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 12 minutes in the Italian second division. The Venezuelan is spending his third season with Stellazzurra. He is an all-around excellent offensive player with a solid three-point shot. He is an excellent scorer who can also drive to the basket. He is able to create opportunities for himself and his teammates. He moves well without the ball and does a good job crashing the offensive glass. He still needs to work on his individual defense.

### Tomer Agmon, U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv

An ANGT returnee, Agmon averaged 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists at the Belgrade qualifier last season, including picking up 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists against U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade. Agmon is a strong candidate for Israel's U18 national team this summer. He is playing in the Israeli U18 league and has averaged 17.5 points on 39% shooting from three-point distance. He is a shooting guard who can create for himself. He is a very smart player on the pick-and-roll and can pass to the big man. He also reads defenses very well.

### Alexandros Samontourov, NGT Patras

Samontourov will be making his ANGT for the Next Generation Team Patras. The 2.09-meter big man recently helped DEKA Thessaloniki win the Greek U18 domestic title. Samontourov had a great run in the playoffs, picking up 25 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 blocks against PAOK in the quarterfinals and following that up with 32 points, 12 rebounds with 6 three-pointers in the semifinals against Panathinaikos. In the final versus Olympiacos, Samontourov tallied 30 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists. Samontourov, who was born in Thessaloniki to Georgian parents, averaged 25.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.0 blocks for the season. He has a great combination of size, agility and skills. He is fairly mobile and can run the floor well. Samontourov has good instincts as a shot-blocker. He still needs to work on the consistency of his shot and his one-on-one defense.

fabricio-pugliatti-u18-stellazzurra-rome-angt-istanbul-photo-tolga-adanali-jt20.jpg

Euroleague Basketball and FC Bayern Munich decided, based on the recommendations of local health authorities, that the qualifier could not be held in Germany now, but both look forward to collaborating there again in the future.

As such, the ANGT Ljubljana will complete the set of four qualifiers whose winners advance automatically to the ANGT Finals, to be held in parallel with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade, Serbia, between May 19 and 21.

Due to the location change, U18 Casademont Zaragoza will replace U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in the upcoming ANGT Varese so that Cedevita's U18 representative can participate in the relocated qualifier in its own city. Additionally, U18 FC Bayern Munich will not participate in this season’s qualifiers and is replaced in Ljubljana by U18 GAK Basketball Academy Gdynia of Poland.

The complete list of ANGT Ljubljana teams is as follows: 

U18 ALBA Berlin

U18 Basket Brno

U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana

U18 GAK Basketball Academy Gdynia

U18 Orange 1 Basket Bassano 

U18 Next Generation Team Ljubljana

U18 Real Madrid

U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

All games of the ANGT Ljubljana qualifier will be held in the practice facility within Arena Stozice in the Slovenian capital.

The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament qualifying event originally scheduled for Munich earlier this year has been relocated to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana and will take place from April 15 to 17.

ANGT qualifier relocated to Ljubljana

The 2016 continental champion U18 FC Barcelona highlights the first-ever Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament to take place in the Greek city of Patras, an event which will see two clubs making their ANGT debuts. Besides Barcelona, the club with the most ANGT past success in the Patras field is U18 Stellazzurra Rome, which lost in the 2018 ANGT Championship Game. The eight-team field also includes host side U18 Promitheas Patras as well as fellow Greek club U18 Olympiacos Piraeus, Israeli powerhouse U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv, first-timers U18 ZPA Tbilisi and U18 Helsinki Basketball Academy, as well as the U18 Next Generation Team Patras.

2016 champ Barcelona highlights first-ever ANGT in Patras

The breakdown of the groups are Barcelona, Maccabi, Olympiacos and Tbilisi in Group A while Promitheas is in Group B with Helsinki, Stellazzurra and NGT Patras. The teams will play the others in their group in round-robin style. The top finisher in each group will face off in the first-place game on Sunday. The winner of that game will book a ticket to the ANGT Finals at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four from May 19 to 21 in Belgrade, where they will join U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne, which grabbed first place at the ANGT Belgrade.

In Group A, Barcelona has played in the ANGT since the 2007-08 campaign, finishing first at the ANGT Valencia last season before falling to U18 Real Madrid in the 2021 ANGT Championship Game. Barcelona took fifth and fourth place the previous two seasons at the ANGT Valencia after having lost in the first place game at ANGT L'Hospitalet in 2017-18. Maccabi will be competing in the ANGT for a 15th time, finishing fifth at the ANGT Belgrade last season and fourth  in the Serbian capital in 2019-20. The Israeli powerhouse reached the ANGT Munich first-place game in 2018-19, losing to Real Madrid but getting a wild card to the ANGT Finals. Olympiacos is back in the ANGT after not playing in the competition last season. The Greek side claimed fourth place at the ANGT Munich in 2017-18, third at the ANGT Belgrade in 2018-19 and sixth at ANGT Valencia in 2019-20. Tbilisi will be making its first appearance in the event after replacing three-time continental champion U18 CSKA Moscow.

Group B is headed by Stellazzurra, which has been participating in the ANGT since the 2008-09 season and hosted the ANGT Rome from 2008-09 to 2015-16. The Italian side's biggest success was reaching the 2018 ANGT Championship Game, where it lost to U18 Rytas Vilnius, which also beat Stellazzurra in the ANGT Kaunas first-place game earlier that season. Stellazzurra lost to Real Madrid in the last season's ANGT Istanbul first-place game and went 1-2 at the ANGT Finals. Stellazzurra also lost to Real in the 2019-20 ANGT Munich first-place game. Promitheas is also back in the competition after not playing in 2020-21. The first-time hosts took sixth place at ANGT Munich in 2019-20 after finishing eighth in their debut at ANGT L'Hospitalet in 2017-18. Helsinki will be making its first appearance in the competition while the NGT Patras team is the second version of the selection team by Adidas of talents from other club who are being coached by retired EuroLeague icon Vassilis Spanoulis.

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne made history by grabbing first place at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade this weekend. For Killian Malwaya, who was awarded with the tournament's MVP trophy, a major motivation for his performance came from one of the lowest points in his young career.

Loss to Real gives Malwaya motivation for ANGT Belgrade success

Malwaya put together an outstanding showing at both ends of the floor as he helped ASVEL knock off host side U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 73-80 in the ANGT Belgrade first-place game on Sunday. It marked the first time that the French club took first place at an ANGT event.

"It's so special. It's a special moment. The first ASVEL team to win an ANGT trophy, and that's so dope," said Malwaya, who collected 22 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks for an index rating of 25 in the final. "We worked so hard and we were really focused on winning this tournament. It was a goal for everyone and we did it. We will be a part of ASVEL history."

Just the fact that ASVEL was facing Zvezda on Sunday in the Serbian capital was a major accomplishment, given that the French team needed to win its last group game against U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade by at least 13 points to reach the first-place game.

"Before the game I just told myself that I need to be 100 percent and give everything for the team. We were calculating how many points we needed to win by so we were a bit stressed. But we did it and created a way to get to the first-place game," Malwaya said.

The 1.97-meter guard was all over the place in that impressive 88-52 victory against Mega, collecting 26 points, 8 rebounds – including 7 on the offensive glass – on the way to PIR of 24.

Those two performances locked up the MVP trophy for the 2005-born guard, who averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 19.8 PIR. Malwaya ranked third in both scoring and PIR for the weekend.

"Mission accomplished. That is what I thought when I heard my name," admitted Malwaya, who suffered an ankle injury in the first-place game and fought through it to help his team win. "This is my third year playing the ANGT and I always wanted to be the MVP. And now I am."

As rewarding as taking the trophy in Belgrade was, Malwaya's last appearance on the ANGT stage featured his biggest low point.

He and ASVEL had beaten Zvezda in the opening game of the 2021 ANGT Finals in Valencia and, in the second one, found themselves in a battle with reigning ANGT champion U18 Real Madrid. The biggest lead in the final three quarters was 6 points. Malwaya's 2 free throws with 5 seconds to play tied the game, but Eli Ndiaye converted his 2 foul shots with 3 seconds remaining and Real prevailed 80-82.

"It was a really, really tough loss. We did everything we could to win but we just couldn't. We were really down in the locker room," Malwaya recalled.

ASVEL would beat U18 Zalgiris Kaunas the next game but missed out on a chance to reach the ANGT Championship Game, which Real ended up winning to repeat as the U18 continental champion.

"At the end of the tournament, we talked in the locker room and we said that we will try to make it back this season – and we did it," he said. "It's a great feeling. We did the job."

Malwaya and co. now can look forward to the ANGT Finals at this spring's EuroLeague Final Four, where they are looking for more history – not to mention maybe a hint of revenge.

"We don't know the teams yet, but we will try to write more history," Malwaya said. "Real Madrid … this is a goal since last year. We are waiting for them. They are the reigning champions. We all remember last year and we want our revenge."

That loss motivated ASVEL in Belgrade and it will still be on Malwaya's mind at the ANGT Finals.

Loss last spring motivated Malwaya to ANGT Belgrade success

Killian Malwaya - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Malwaya led ASVEL with 22 points in its 73-80 victory over U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade as the club took first place in an ANGT event for the first time in its history. Malwaya also headed the Best 5 of the tournament, where he was joined by Luka Vudragovic of Zvezda, Sergio De Larrea from U18 Valencia Basket, Luka Krajnovic of U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade and Ege Demir from U18 Tofas Bursa.

 

Malwaya finished with 20.0 points per game while shooting 68.6% on 2-pointers, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks for an index rating of 19.8. He was third in points and PIR and 10th in two-point shooting percentage.

Vudragovic finished the first-place game with 19 points on 6 three-pointers and 6 rebounds. His tournament averages were 17.5 points on 44.8% three-pointers, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals for a PIR of 16.8. The Zvezda guard ranked tied for fourth in scoring, fourth in 3-point shooting and ninth in index rating.

 

De Larrea collected 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks for a PIR of 22.8. He was tied for fourth in scoring, third in rebounds, tied for third in assists and second in index rating. Krajnovic averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists for an index rating of 12.2. He was eighth in scoring and ninth in assists. Demir finished the tournament with 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.2 blocks for a PIR of 17.5. The Tofas big man led the tournament in blocks and was ranked 11th in scoring, ninth in rebounds and seventh in index rating.

Killian Malwaya took home the Most Valuable Player award after helping guide U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne to a first-place finish at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade. 

Malwaya named ANGT Belgrade MVP

Killian Malwaya, MVP - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5 - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5, Sergio De Larrea - U18 Valencia Basket - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5, Ege Demir - U18 Tofas Bursa - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5, Killian Malwaya - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5, Luka Krajnovic - U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5, Luka Vudragovic - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 73-80 U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne

ASVEL held Zvezda scoreless for the final 5:53 minutes to bring home the win and take first place at an ANGT for the first time in club history. With the victory, ASVEL will be playing at the ANGT Finals at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Killian Malwaya scored 22 points to pace five ASVEL scorers in double figures. Francois Wibaut had 15 points, Kymany Houinsou collected 14 points and 10 rebounds, Romain Parmentelot added 13 points, 7 assists and 5 steals and Yaacov Noam chipped in 10 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. It marked the fourth straight season that Zvezda did not finish first at its home ANGT after eight straight first place showings previously. Luka Vudragovic led Zvezda with 19 points but only had one point after the first quarter. Ognjen Matovic tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds and Lazar Djokovic had 10 points in the loss.

Vudragovic sandwiched three-pointers around a Matovic triple and Zvezda led 9-0 as ASVEL was held scoreless its first four possessions until Houinsou’s emphatic dunk. The Zvezda barrage continued with a Djokovic triple and two more Vudragovic three-pointers for an 18-5 lead. ASVEL was able to punish Zvezda’s miscues, getting 9 points off 5 turnovers and getting within 22-18. Vudragovic wasn’t done with 2 more three-pointers as Zvezda went ahead up 28-20. Felix De Almeida and Malwaya connected from long range at the other end and the score was 30-26 after 10 minutes. The frantic pace settled in the second quarter with Noam hitting a three-pointer and Malwaya converting a three-point play to give ASVEL its first lead 30-32. Zvezda needed nearly 4 minutes to finally get on the scoreboard in the second quarter through Matovic. Another basket by Matovic had Zvezda up 37-34 as the scoring game to a screeching halt and the misses started to mount on both sides. Zvezda avoided the turnovers and was able to convert; Vladimir Pavlovic made a three-pointer and three-point play as the lead grew to 48-39 at the break.

 

ASVEL was the team hot from the outside to start the second half with Parmentelot hitting two three-pointers and his layup put the French side back ahead 50-52. It remained tight the rest of the quarter with 4 points being the biggest lead after Filip Radakovic’s triple to make it 64-60. Zvezda held a 67-65 lead after 30 minutes. The gravity of every possession grew and Wibaut scored twice to even the game, 71-71. Nikola Topic put Zvezda ahead 73-71, but the ASVEL defense shined the rest of the way, stopping the host team on the final 12 possessions, including 7 turnovers, and Wibaut scored 4 points before Houinsou’s big fastbreak dunk for a 73-79 lead with 31 seconds to play.

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne booked the first ticket to the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals by fighting past host U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 73-80 to take first place at the ANGT Belgrade. 

ASVEL is ANGT Belgrade winner!

Luka Vudragovic celebrates - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade v U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne (2022-02-27T15:30:00.000Z)

Kymany Houinsou - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Ognjen Matovic - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Romain Parmentelot - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Kymany Houinsou 2- U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Luka Vudragovic - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Ognjen Matovic 2- U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Pavle Misic - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Nikola Topic - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Francois Wibaut - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Romain Parmentelot 2- U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Romain Parmentelot celebrates - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne Champ - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne Champ 2- Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne Champ 4- Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne Champ 3- Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne Champ 5- Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Tofas Bursa - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21