Joventut with strong showing in win over ASVEL

U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona started its quest for a Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Qualifier Valencia crown by getting past LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 67-53 in Group B. Vinicius Da Silva paced the 2013 continental champion with 18 points and 17 rebounds with 8 fouls drawn for a performance index rating of 35. Aleix Haro chipped in 13 points and 5 assists. ASVEL did not have a single player in double figures as Felix Bastien, Elwin Ndjock and Matthew Strazel all had 9 points.

The game was tight early on with five lead changes when Joventut went on a 6-0 run to pull ahead 13-8. Ndjock knocked down a three-pointer at the other end and the Spanish side was up 16-12 after 10 minutes. The gap was 23-15 after a three-ball from Joel Juarez. ASVEL rushed back into the game with a 0-10 run thanks to two triples from Ndjock 23-25. Haro and Roberts Berzins both hit from long range for Joventut and the lead was 32-27 at the break. ASVEL twice trimmed the gap to 2 points, the second time at 36-34, but Joventut scored 10 straight points and an Arnau Jaime three-pointer made it 47-36. ASVEL managed to cut the deficit to 47-40 after 30 minutes and Strazel’s three-ball had the French side to within 47-43, but Joventut went on a 10-2 spurt and pushed ahead 57-45 with 5 minutes left. ASVEL could only get as close as eight points as Haro nailed a long ball down the stretch.