By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne held on tight in overtime to edge AS Monaco 84-82 and win its third consecutive French Betclic Elite trophy Saturday.
Elie Okobo was the driving force behind ASVEL with 20 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, William Howard followed with 15 points and 9 rebounds and Youssoupha Fall was added to the list of top scorers with 14 points.
ASVEL gained a 26-13 advantage in the first quarter and retained a double-digit 43-33 lead before heading to the lockers. The momentum shifted after the break, with Monaco using an early run to get back in the game while Diallo stepped up to even the score at 53 points seconds before the end of the third period.
James helped Monaco get a four-point lead for the first time in the game early in the fourth and Sasa Obradovic’s squad built up the confidence to control the pace up until the 38-minute mark, though ASVEL was resilient enough to force the extra five-minute period.
Mike James paced Monaco’s efforts with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Alpha Diallo added 14 points and 6 rebounds, Dwayne Bacon had 14 points and 8 rebounds and Donatas Motiejunas scored 11.
Photo credit: EuroLeague