Idea Slask Wroclaw did it again! The Polish upstarts are going from surprise to reality thanks to a great defense that produced a second straight road win in Group C, 65-77 at Adecco Asvel on Thursday. Slask improved to 3-0 and is tied with Pamesa Valencia for the group leadership. Asvel fell to 1-2. The visitors' solid defense plus an inspired Lynn Greer, who put up 21 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, were the keys for the victory. Adam Wojcik scored 14 points for the winners, while Dominik Tomczyk added 13 and Radoslaw Hyzy 10. Asvel, who just made 7 of 26 three-pointers, was led by Sasha Giffa, with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Karim Souchu chipped in 10, while Shawnta Rogers was slowed down by the Slask defense, scoring just 3 points.
Slask started the game with the same 2-3 zone defense which they used to beat Alba a week before in Berlin, but after a three-pointer by Sacha Giffa and a jumper by Makan Dioumassi, which gave Asvel a 5-2 lead, the visitors switched to man-to-man defense, and it paid off. Slask went on a 0-8 run, in which Hyzy scored 4 points, to get a 5-10 lead after 2 free throws by Greer. Dioumassi slowed Greer in the early minutes of the game, as Asvel tied the game at 11-11 after free throws by Souchu, but once the Slask point guard went one-on-one against Rogers, things were different. Greer scored back-to-back baskets, but Asvel managed to stay into the game as Dioumassi scored nine first-quarter points. A layup in penetration by Karim Souchu and a shot by Giffa gave Asvel a one-point lead, 21-23. The locals went scoreless in the final two minutes of the first quarter, while Tamel Tein hit a three-pointer and Greer added a layup in the final play of the quarter to give Slask a 21-25 lead after 10 minutes of action.
Slask improved the defense, and that was the turning point in the second quarter. Asvel's frontocurt did not find space while Souchu, Harold Mrazek and Herve Toure missed all their shots from downtown. The visitors opened the second quarter with a basket by Tein and a three-point play by Hyzy wo make it a nine-point game, 21-30. David Frigout, who came off the Asvel bench, scored five points in the early minutes of the second to help his team exchange baskets with their opponents. rogers hit a three-pointer, the only one Asvel made out of nine attempts in this quarter, to make it a four-point game, 29-33. But Greer scored a coast-to-coast layup and two foul shots, and soon Ryan Randle made a 3-meter hook shot to give Slask a double-digit lead, 32-43, while Asvel struggled in the offensive end. At halftime, Slask led by 12, 34-46.
Nothing changed in the early minutes in the early minutes of the second half, but Slask started to struggle in the offensive end once the hosts managed to slow Greer. The visitors went scoreless for four minutes, but Asvel did not take advantage of their good defense a three-pointer by Mrazek and a slam by Giffa were their only baskets through that minutes. Asvel cut the visitors lead by six, 47-53, after a fast break layup by Herve Toure, but once Greer got back into the court, he assisted Hyzy for a three-point play and added a free throws to make his team lead by eight, 49-57, after three quarters.
David Frigout made a three-pointer to open the final quarter, but soon Slask went on a 3-12 run, in which Michal Ignerski had 6 points, included a fast break dunk off a steal that forced an Asvel timeout. The hosts did not give up, as Toure and Souchu scored three points apiece in a 6-0 local run which made it an 8-point game, 61-69, with four minutes to go. But Wojcik made a three-pointer, Greer added a layup in penetration and Dominik Tomczyk scored a put-back, giving the visitors a 13-point lead, 63-76, with two minutes to go, enough to seal the game for Slask.
Thursday, November 20, 2003
Yvan Tabellion, Villeurbanne