Jones leads ASVEL over Fenerbahce

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne snapped its four-game losing streak by edging Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 84-82 at Astroballe on Thursday. ASVEL improved to 8-9 in the standings while dropping Fenerbahce to 7-10. Chris Jones led the winners with a career-high 27 points, including a crucial floater down the stretch. Elie Okobo added 14, William Howard scored 12 and James Gist 10 for ASVEL. Achille Polonara led Fenerbahce with 23 points and 11 rebounds, DyShawn Pierre added 17 points and Pierria Henry and Marko Guduric each had 10 for the visitors, who lost Nando De Colo and Jan Vesely during the game to respective injuries. Jones hit a critical floater and split free throws, allowing ASVEL to record an important victory.

Pierre got Fenerbahce going with a layup. Jones and Vesely traded jumpers and Youssoupha Fall's alley-oop dunk tied it at 4-4. Pierre scored again and De Colo found his first points, but Marcos Knight and Diot each struck from downtown to put ASVEL ahead, 10-8. Polonara scored around the basket before Jones joined the three-point shootout and Diot added a jumper for a 15-10 ASVEL lead. Henry took over with a coast-to-coast layup and got help from Pierre to bring Fenerbahce within 17-15. Guduric sank a corner triple and Sehmus Hazer added a driving layup, but Gist and Lacombe gave the hosts a 21-20 edge after 10 minutes.

Howard scored down low for a 23-21 ASVEL lead early in the second quarter. De Colo rescued the guests with a floater and Hazer added a fastbreak layup, which prompted ASVEL to call timeout at 24-25. Fall dunked and De Colo and Okobo traded layups. Polonara's jump hook made it 28-29. Knight took over with a put-back layup and a three-pointer, but Pierre tied it at 33-33. Jehyve Floyd scored his first points and Henry scored off a steal in a 0-10 run that gave Fenerbahce a 33-39 lead. Jones hit back-to-back jumpers and Okobo added a three-point play to bring ASVEL within 40-41. After Pierre scored again, Henry and Jones traded triples to fix the halftime score at 43-46.

Okobo took over with a driving layup soon after the break and Jones buried a wide-open three-pointer for a 48-46 ASVEL lead. Gist followed a power basket with a fastbreak slam and soon added a jumper to boost the hosts' margin to 54-46, after a 14-0 run. Mahmutoglu rescued Fenerbahce with a bomb from beyond the arc and Vesely added a jump hook, but Howard answered from downtown to restore a 57-51 ASVEL lead. Mahmutoglu banked in a running hook and Polonara added a put-back layup to bring the visitors within 60-55. Jones ignited the crowd with a coast-to-coast layup and Okobo scored in penetration, but Henry and Polonara kept Fenerbahce close at 64-60 after 30 minutes.

Howard stepped up with a put-back slam early in the fourth quarter and Dylan Osetkowski soon made it an 8-point game. Pierre tried to change things with a driving layup and Polonara added a three-point play to bring the guests within 68-65. Okobo scored in penetration, but Guduric had 5 quick points to tie it at 70-70. After Gist dunked again, Polonara hit a triple and Pierre put the visitors ahead 74-75 with over 3 minutes left. Howard struck from beyond the arc and Jones downed a floater for a 79-75 ASVEL lead. Okobo banked in a jump hook, but Polonara followed a three-pointer with a layup-plus-foul to tie it at 81-81, with 49.3 seconds left. Jones sank another floater and split free throws for an 84-81 ASVEL edge with 7.5 seconds remaining. Polonara split foul attempts and Fenerbahce fouled Gist with 2.6 seconds left. He missed both attempts, but Hazer missed from beyond midcourt at the buzzer.

Jones keeps delivering for ASVEL

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne had to wait until the final second of its Round 17 showdown against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul to claim an 84-82 victory. Chris Jones was its main pillar, leading his team all game long. He finished the game with a career-high 27 points, hitting 6 of 8 two-point shots, 3 of 4 three-pointers and 6 of 7 free throws. Jones added a rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 5 fouls drawn for a personal-best PIR of 30. With the game tied at 81-81, Jones created a critical shot, hitting the go-ahead floater to put ASVEL on the right track to win the game.

Gist turns back the clock

The game between LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul was a special game for power forward James Gist, who played against one of his former squads. Gist helped ASVEL get a thrilling 84-82 victory with a solid performance. He finished the game with 10 points on 5-of-8 two-point shooting, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. He scored 6 points in a 14-0 run that put ASVEL in charge. Gist turned back the clock with a couple of his signature dunks: a two-handed fastbreak jam and a huge slam off the baseline late in the game. At age 35, Gist is still a human highlight film.

By the Numbers: Steals, three-pointers key ASVEL

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul did a lot of good things in its Round 17 game against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. The Turkish powerhouse made 77.4% of its two-point shots - the third-best percentage in club history - and outrebounded ASVEL 23-34 with 13 offensive boards and allowing just 8. ASVEL, however, registered an 84-82 victory. The French champs finished the game with 11 steals - 1 shy of its season-high mark; it had 12 against Panathinaikos OPAP Athens in Round 7. That defensive activity forced Fenerbahce into 20 turnovers, its worst mark this season. The visitors were also off-target from downtown, making just 6 of 28 three-pointers (21.4%).