By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Dominating the Leaders Cup semifinal, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne strolled past Le Mans, 90-65, Saturday night.
Nando De Colo packing 15 points with 7/11 from the field carried the winning side in Saint-Etienne Metropole. The experienced guard, a former Leaders Cup champion with Cholet back in 2008, added five assists and two rebounds in 16 minutes.
The lead grew into double-digits and peaked at 21 points in the second quarter. Conceding a 10-0 run to start the second half, De Colo took over once more helping T.J. Parker’s side quickly recover. The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague outfit got the distance back over 20 points confirming a date with JL Bourg in the final of the eight-team tournament.
Antoine Diot paired 11 points with seven assists, Charles Kahudi logged 11 points and Dee Bost ended up with ten points. Sidelined early in the 2022-23 season, Joffrey Lauvergne (right knee) is the lone member of ASVEL’s injury list.
Former Cornell standout, Matt Morgan netted all of his 11 free throws for a game-high 20 points for the losing side. Elric Delord’s players were limited to 1/15 from beyond the arc with Morgan alone at 1/9 for the night.
Opening the semifinal schedule in Arena Saint-Etienne Metropole, Bourg routed JDA Dijon, 94-77. Explosive guard James Palmer Jr. fired in 25 points with 8/11 field goals, including 3/3 triples.
Leaders Cup Final 8
Quarterfinals (17/2)
JDA Dijon – Limoges CSP 83-65
AS Monaco – JL Bourg 92-102
Cholet – Le Mans 77-84
Metropolitans 92 – LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 65-72
Semifinals (18/2)
JDA Dijon – JL Bourg 77-94
Le Mans – LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 65-90
Final (19/2)
JL Bourg – LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (18:30 CET)
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net