By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
A new era for LDLC ASVEL has begun, with the French club inaugurating their new LDLC Arena against Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague. Unfortunately for the hosts, it started with a defeat. But a spectacular one.
Gianmarco Pozzecco’s side had a 12-point lead at the opening of the final quarter, but the German team managed to turn the score around. However, 40 minutes weren’t enough to determine the winner, and after numerous turnarounds, Bayern recorded a 100-101 win in double overtime.
It’s hard to comprehend all that happened in the final 15 minutes of the game in Lyon. ASVEL had a solid lead, then Bayern took command, but Leandro Bolmaro missed the chance to win the game in regular time from the free-throw line.
Pablo Laso’s players had a 77-83 advantage with two minutes to go in the first overtime, but ASVEL refused to go down and turned the score around again with an 11-2 run. However, Nick Weiler Babb hit the triple to tie the game with six seconds to go, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot missed the chance to get the win in the final moments and the result was a second overtime.
ASVEL looked closer to the win, but out of thin air, Sylvain Francisco appeared and hit two huge threes in the last minute to tie the teams at 100 with 18 seconds on the clock. Joffrey Lauvergne missed the winning floater and fouled Niels Giffey, who got the charge but made only his second free throw. Luwawu-Cabarrot missed a tough shot at the buzzer, and Bayern emerged victorious.
“You wanna make the first one, and kinda miss the second one, but it went the other way around, but okay. We’ll take it. It was important for us because we had lost a lot of close games in the last weeks. Just getting the feeling of winning the close one is important. It was good for us to win the tough game on the road; it gives us confidence,” Niels Giffey, who scored 14 points, said about the pressure on the final seconds free throws and a big win for his team.
Devin Booker had a double-double for the winning side with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Leandro Bolmaro also scored 16 but left the court before overtime due to an injury. Serge Ibaka added 14 points for Bayern, while Sylvain Francisco finished the game with 10 points, including the crucial three-pointers in the end.
“We shouldn’t have been in that position. We made some crazy turnovers that shouldn’t happen, but, needless to say, we were in that position, and we came out with a win. We kept fighting, never gave up, and in the end, it came out our way,” Booker said.
In a heartbreaking loss, Mike Scott and Joffrey Lauvergne scored 21 points each, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot added 20, and Paris Lee 19 points for ASVEL which missed Nando De Colo.
Laso: “My team has heart”
Pablo Laso gave his assessment after probably the craziest EuroLeague game this season, praising his players for never giving up.
“We played a good game all-around but committed a lot of mistakes. They are a good team and they used those mistakes, but my team has heart. We were down by 10; we kept fighting. It wasn’t our best night, but we were there and fought until the end. We got a win three times, lost two times, in the end we got a victory, and that’s the important thing. I’m very proud of my guys,” the head coach of Bayern said.
Gianmarco Pozzecco definitively brought new energy to the ASVEL team and was disheartened after a tough defeat but still congratulated his players on the effort.
“Fantastic event for all of the ASVEL fans, in the amazing gym; everything was perfect. My players never gave up and played an amazing game, but we missed just a victory. This is basketball; there is no possibility of having a tie. We could win; the guys fought on the court, as Coach Laso said. There were mistakes, but everyone was tired in the end. However, my players deserved to celebrate,” Pozzecco said.
Photo: euroleaguebasketball.net