Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot top scored for the winners
Baskonia bests ASVEL in team-first triumph
Rapport de match
3 Minute de lecture
Regular Season
Round 21 of 38
Regular Season
Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-GasteizKBA
7873
LDLC ASVEL VilleurbanneASV
Overview
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“We won against a tough team,” said Paolo Galbiati. “I am very happy and proud of the players.”
The Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz head coach’s pride is hardly surprising. Overcoming some apparent tiredness, his team defeated a stubborn LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne squad, 78-73, in Friday night action.
Both teams scrambled around for an advantage at the start of the game, with Baskonia eventually taking hold of the contest and boasting a 9-point advantage at halftime. However, the team talk Pierric Poupet gave at the break definitely landed, as his team came flying out of the gates, swarming Baskonia on defense and hurting them in transition to take a short-lived lead.
A tense, cagey fourth period played out, with neither side able to take the reins for a while. The game remained tied for an extended period, before Baskonia snatched the lead back with some crucial late buckets, securing the dub and improving its record to 8-13.
Former ASVEL man Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot shone for the hosts, scoring 21 points at a clip of 6-for-11 shooting from the field. He attributed the vibrant home crowd and strong team chemistry to the important win.
“I think the fans, the belief,” Luwawu-Cabarrot said. “We are a good group, we are cheering for each other, we love each other, we love to play with each other.”
Outside of TLC, the Spanish team really shared the offensive load. Trent Forrest and Kobi Simmons also finished in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively, while every active player marked the scoring column in a true team display. Eugene Omoruyi commanded the glass, logging 8 boards and 7 points of his own.
“We knew they were coming to play hard, like they always do,” Luwawu-Cabarrot shared. “They lost Nando [De Colo] but they still have great talent and great players. We kind of lost it in the third quarter, but we stayed focused and got it back. Very glad we got this win.”
As mentioned, the presence of veteran De Colo was certainly missed by ASVEL. His departure to Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul earlier this week left a hole in ASVEL's offense and leadership that they’ll have to work hard to fill. Much like its opponents, the French team remains winless on the road in this year’s contest, moving its record to 6-15.
Things don’t get much easier for Pierric Poupet’s men next week, as they prepare to face table-topping Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv in a tough matchup next Friday. Baskonia, on the other hand, will travel to Turkiye to face Anadolu Efes Istanbul just one day prior.
