By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Facundo Campazzo had the chance to give Madrid the lead and possibly the win. However, Andre Roberson blocked him, and with Paris Lee at the buzzer made a layup to win the game.
LDLC ASVEL got the 80-78 win over Real Madrid and climbed to a 5-8 record, while Madrid dropped to 6-7.
Theo Maledon once more was the star of the show with 23 points and seven assists, while Lee was the hero of the night with 13 points and four assists.
“We gave ourselves a chance to win at the end, Andre with a huge block, and Paris finished the job, it was amazing”, said Maledon.
PARIS LEE FOR THE WIN AT THE BUZZER!!!pic.twitter.com/uwIFOMs68u
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) December 3, 2024
It was the first win of ASVEL over Real Madrid after 20 years and it was so big that coach Pierric Poupet had to apologize at the end: “I got lost in the moment and I forgot to shake hands with Real Madrid’s coaches. I have great respect for them and I apologize for that. It was a huge win for us with a lot of character”.
Mario Hezonja with 19 points and Gabriel Deck with 17 were the top scorers of the Spanish powerhouse.
A thriller in the closing seconds
Real Madrid opened the game with a three by Eli Ndiaye and that was the first and last time they had the lead in the first half. The “Whites” tied the score twice, but trailed 30-26 at the end of the first period and 51-43 at halftime.
Neal Sako made it a 10-point game (53-43) for ASVEL to start the third period which was also the wake-up call for Madrid’s comeback. The guests went on with a 23-6 run, getting a 66-59 lead at the end of the third period with Deck and Hezonja taking over.
Andres Feliz with his first shot of the game gave Real Madrid a 10-point advantage (69-59) to start the last quarter. What followed, however, was a 10-0 run by ASVEL with Maledon scoring eight of them to tie the score at 69.
Hezonja answered back with five straight points (74-69) but thanks to big plays by Andre Roberson and Maledon, the score was tied at 78 with 9 seconds on the clock. Campazzo got the ball, but Roberson blocked his layup with 1.8 seconds left, setting the stage for Paris Lee’s big shot.
Photo credit: EuroLeague