By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Theo Maledon and Melvin Ajinca are part of the French “Nouvelle vague” that is taking the EuroLeague by storm.
With the guard duo scoring 17 points each, LDLC ASVEL got two road wins this week with the French side beating Zalgiris Kaunas 78-72.
“We stayed composed, we knew it was going to be a tough crowd and a game of runs, but we just playing our game”, said Maledon after the end of the game.
The news also came from the fact that Lonnie Walker stayed scoreless in the game and 22 points by Sylvain Fransisco were not enough for the hosts.
For the winning side, Paris Lee had 12 points and Nando De Colo added 11, as ASVEL prevailed despite missing Joffrey Lauvergne.
Zalgiris dropped to 10-7 after this result and ASVEL has a solid 8-9 record, much better than the recent previous seasons of the French club.
Leading from wire to wire
ASVEL led all the way, starting the game up 21-16 after the first period and keeping their distance at halftime (43-36). Zalgiris led momentarily (23-22) by one point at the start of the second period and tried to turn things around in the third.
The hosts tied the score and took the lead, but again ASVEL entered the last quarter up by three (56-53) thanks to a three by Ajinca.
Zalgiris didn’t give up, but ASVEL managed to get an eight-point cushion (69-61) with six minutes left as Nando De Colo made two crucial threes when it counted the most.
Despite the hosts’ pressure, ASVEL even extended their lead to 10 (76-66) after a dunk by Andre Robinson and that proved to be enough.
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