2019-20Regular SeasonRound 6
November 01, 2019 CET: 19:00
Local time: 19:00 LA FONTETA

Valencia gains first win against ASVEL

Valencia Basket claimed its first victory of the season with a hard-fought 80-72 home triumph over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, which drops to 3-3 for the season and is still waiting for its first road win. ASVEL was very much in contention throughout, holding a slender lead at half-time and keeping its options alive until the very last minute, but ultimately Valencia was able to capitalize upon a second-half burst inspired by Quino Colom to claim a much-needed victory. Bojan Dubljevic led a balanced Valencia offense by scoring 13 points, while Guillem Vives was the only other home team player in double figures with 10 points. Colom combined 9 points with 6 assists, most of which came during Valencia's strong second-half spurt. The game's highest-scorer was ASVEL's Livio Jean-Charles, who made 9 of 11 two-point attempts to register 20 points. Former Valencia player Antoine Diot also shone with 17 points and 6 assists, and Edwin Jackson added 10 points.

The opening stages were very closely contested, with Diot getting ASVEL's offense moving by sinking an early three-pointer on his former home court. Aaron Doornekamp and Jordan Loyd answered from long-range for Valencia, but Diot's second triple sent ASVEL ahead, 8-10. The visitors then had success inside, with Amine Noua scoring the last basket of the first quarter on the buzzer for a 16-18 edge. A three-point play from Maurice N’Dour and a three-point strike from Dubljevic sent Valencia back in front, but Jean-Charles then took over with four close-range baskets, giving ASVEL a 35-36 half-time edge. Rihards Lomazs and Loyd both struck triples early in the second half, and a period of even scoring featured Dubljevic's first two-pointer and a long-range strike from ASVEL's Jackson. Colom found Dubljevic for a 56-52 lead at the end of the third, and early in the fourth the same duo combined to brilliant effect as two magical assists from Colom were finished by the center. Colom also dished to Louis Labeyrie for a huge slam, and Valencia appeared to be pulling away at 70-60. The unstoppable Jean-Charles kept ASVEL hoping, and a three-pointer by Lomazs made it 75-70 in the final minute. A spectacular alley-oop between Diot and Jean-Charles was ASVEL's last roll of the dice, as Valencia used a series of free throws to seal the deal.

Colom creativity sparks Valencia

The game was ultimately decided by a big Valencia surge at the start of the fourth quarter, and Quino Colom was the architect. The veteran guard scored a three-pointer and dished 3 assists in the space of three minutes, including a stunning no-look behind the back pass to Dubljevic and an inch-perfect bounce pass to the same player. Colom’s last assist in that brilliant burst, to Louis Labeyrie, gave Valencia a 10-point lead and left ASVEL with too much to do.

Dubljevic enjoys big turnaround

Unusually, Bojan Dubljevic was desperately struggling for Valencia in the first half, missing his first five two-point attempts as Valencia reached half-time making only 8-of-19 two-point attempts (42%). But the big man was transformed after the break, making all five of his second-half two-pointers. Valencia’s two-point shooting in general consequently enjoyed a similar improvement, finishing with 18-of-32 (56.3%).

Jean-Charles unstoppable inside

Dubljevic, however, was outshone by visiting big man Livio Jean-Charles. The 25-year old product of ASVEL’s youth system missed two of his first three two-point attempts but was then faultless, converting eight consecutive attempts to finish with a game-high 20 points.

Warm reception for Diot

There was an emotional moment pre-game for visiting point guard Antoine Diot, who spent the last four seasons with Valencia before joining ASVEL in the summer. The last two years of his time in Spain were ruined by injury, but he was still fondly regarded by the Valencia fans and was given a rousing ovation during the pre-game presentations. And he responded by scoring a career-high 17 points, including three three-pointers.

Next round

Valencia will now look for its first road win of the season with a tough trip to face Panathinaikos OPAP Athens in Round 7, while ASVEL will attempt to maintain its perfect home record with a visit from reigning champions CSKA Moscow.

Bojan Dubljevic - Valencia Basket - EB19
Friday, November 1, 2019
Euroleague.net
Referees: RYZHYK, BORYS; VILIUS, GYTIS; JURAS, MARKO
Attendance: 7399
By Quarter1234
Valencia Basket16192125
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne18181620
End of Quarter1234
Valencia Basket16355681
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne18365272
Valencia Basket
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
1 COLOM, QUINO 16:58 9 1/2 1/4 4/5 1 1 2 6   2       4 14
2 MARINKOVIC, VANJA 15:31 6   1/3 3/4 1   1             4 8
3 LOYD, JORDAN 20:39 8 1/6 2/3     1 1 2 1 1   2 3 1 1
5 NDOUR, MAURICE 11:56 9 3/3   3/3   2 2   1       3 3 12
6 ABALDE, ALBERTO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7 LABEYRIE, LOUIS 19:16 4 1/1 0/2 2/4 1 2 3 1           4 8
10 TOBEY, MIKE 2:42           1 1     1     2   -2
12 MOTUM, BROCK 18:47 8 2/2 0/1 4/6 1 1 2           1 6 12
14 DUBLJEVIC, BOJAN 27:19 13 5/10 1/3   2 6 8 2   3     2   11
16 VIVES, GUILLEM 27:00 10 3/4   4/4 1 3 4 4   2     2 4 17
19 SAN EMETERIO, FERNANDO 22:11 9 1/3 2/4 1/2   2 2 3         1 1 9
42 DOORNEKAMP, AARON 17:41 5 1/1 1/1   1 3 4 3 2 2     2   10
Team           2 2 4               4
Totals 200:00 81 18/32 8/21 21/28 10 24 34 21 4 11 0 2 16 27 104
        56.3% 38.1% 75%
Head coach: PONSARNAU, JAUME
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
1 JACKSON, EDWIN 20:14 10 2/4 2/5     2 2 1           3 11
2 TAYLOR, JORDAN 3:52     0/1             1     3   -5
3 JEKIRI, TONYE 27:55 4 2/5   0/2 3 6 9 4   3 2   3 1 9
5 KAHUDI, CHARLES 21:13 5 1/2 1/3         1         2 1 2
9 LOMAZS, RIHARDS 13:03 8 1/2 2/4     2 2 1 1 1     5 2 5
11 GALLIOU, CHARLES 0:46                         1   -1
12 NOUA, AMINE 14:46 4 2/2 0/1     2 2     1     4    
17 JEAN-CHARLES, LIVIO 25:48 20 9/11   2/2 2 2 4 1 1       1 1 24
19 DIOT, ANTOINE 32:58 17 2/4 3/7 4/4 1 1 2 6 1 2     2 4 20
21 BAKO, ISMAEL 5:31 2 0/1   2/2           1     3 3  
23 LIGHTY, DAVID 16:33 2 1/1 0/3     1 1 1         1    
32 STRAZEL, MATTHEW 17:21   0/2 0/2     1 1     1     2 1 -5
Team           2 2 4     1         3
Totals 200:00 72 20/34 8/26 8/10 8 19 27 15 3 11 2 0 27 16 63
        58.8% 30.8% 80%
Head coach: MITROVIC, ZVEZDAN

Head Coaches

PONSARNAU, JAUME
Valencia Basket
“It was a difficult game for us. ASVEL are a tough team, it’s difficult to play against their defense because they have a lot of speed. In the first half we didn’t find the best solutions to play against them. Our defense also made a lot of little mistakes, but in the second half we improved in all situations. We found energy and rhythm, even when we made turnovers, and it the last quarter the work of our point guards was very good in that moment. The connection between Quino and Dubli was special.”
MITROVIC, ZVEZDAN
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
“Congrats to Valencia for their first win, and good luck in the future. I think it was an interesting game, we made a good effort and tried to control the game. But in the end I think the key was rebounding, in the last quarter it was 13-2 in their advantage. It’s very difficult to play that way. They were more aggressive and attacked the ball, but I’m not disappointed. I think we played a good game. Antoine Diot is a very important player for us. Tonight we had Antoine and a 17 year-old at point guard, and he’s really helping us a lot. It was almost like a home game for him tonight!”

Players

MARINKOVIC, VANJA
Valencia Basket
"This is our first win in the EuroLeague this season, and I think there are many more to come. I think we played good as a team, especially in the second half. We stayed together in bad moments, and won."
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