By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Dominating the second half in Astroballe sent an advantage of over 20 points to ALBA Berlin.
Blowing out LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, 88-63, shaped the first winning display on the road in the 2023-24 edition of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
In control most of the way behind speed and focus, the team coached by Israel Gonzalez ballooned the lead to 27 points down the stretch.
Putting up a double-digit scoring performance for the seventh game in a row, Sterling Brown ended up with 13 points to go with six rebounds and five assists. Yanni Wetzell shared the game-high 13 points in the Round 21 fixture.
“We expected we could compete for sure, but we did not expect such a high win for sure,” admitted team captain Johannes Thiemann.
Snapping a five-game losing streak, Thiemann and Gabriele Procida chipped in 12 points apiece. Cleared from an ankle injury, Justin Bean emerged as the fifth double-digit scorer with all of his ten points in the second half.
“We never gave up. We always try our best. And today we were very good in defense,” noted head coach Gonzalez.
“The motivation was very high because we had not yet won in this year. Also, we are working very hard but are still losing some games by a few points,” added Procida.
Extending a double-digit streak of performance index rating over ten, Paris Lee shared a team-high 12 points with Charles Kahudi. But high-school teammate Brown bested him in a direct collision.
After a second consecutive double-game week, both sides sit at 4-17 in the Regular Season, tied at the bottom of the standings. “Maybe we are a younger team and that is why we had the energy,” said Thiemann on navigating the demanding schedule.
“Unfortunately, for us, somehow, the level of energy was low,” summed up losing play-caller Pierric Poupet, “We need time to analyze all this. But congrats to ALBA. Of course, we need to bounce back.”
Newcomer DeShaun Thomas and Nando De Colo (right calf) were out for ASVEL. The Berlin outfit ruled out Ziga Samar (foot) and Louis Olinde (illness) alongside recent signing Martin Hermannsson.
Continental clash with Bayern
Domestic rival FC Bayern Munich emerges as the Round 22 opponent for the Albatrosse. Before the game in Mercedes-Benz Arena on Thursday, the domestic schedule generates a home affair opposite Wurzburg Baskets and an opportunity to go up to 9-4 in Germany’s easyCredit BBL on Sunday.
Hoping to improve to 13-5 in France’s Betclic Elite, ASVEL hosts Cholet on Sunday. Resuming the continental campaign, a road challenge versus Virtus Segafredo Bologna follows on Thursday.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net