Levallois hits 15 threes in first win this season

Levallois Metropolitans registered its first win of the season, helped by 15 three-pointers and a career-night from Remy Lesca, downing visiting Cedevita Zagreb 91-81 on Wednesday night. Levallois shot 15 of 26 from three-point range and improved to 1-4, while Cedevita dropped to 2-3 in Group A. Lesca, who came into the game having scored 1 point in the last three games, had a career-best 21 points on 5-for-6 three-point shooting plus 6 assists and 3 steals to lead the way. Klemen Prepelic also scored 21 points, Gavin Ware collected 14 points and 9 rebounds, Roderick Odom contributed 11 points and Sylvain Francisco 10 points. Demetris Nichols paced the visitors with 19 points, Andrija Stipanovic had 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, Filip Kruslin scored 12, Dzanan Musa 10 and Roko Ukic dished 10 assists in defeat.

Cedevita had a hot start, with Kruslin hitting a pair of triples and Will Cherry converting a three-point play after a steal and a fast break to make it 4-16. A second-chance triple from Sylvain Francisco got Levallois’s offense going and Ware had a dunk to cut it to 13-18. Kevin Murphy hit a three for the visitors, but Prepelic hit his first for the hosts to make it 16-23 at the end of first. The hosts continued their charge with Lecsa scoring 8 points, including a pair of three-pointers, before Odom and Prepelic each hit from behind the arc to put Levallois in front 34-29. Prepelic added another triple, but Ukic, Stipanovic and Dzanan Musa got Cedevita back in front and helped it keep a 41-44 halftime lead.

Prepelic opened the second half with a three as the teams traded baskets and leads. Kruslin and Nichols hit from long range for the visitors, but Boris Diaw and Lesca hit from behind the arc for Levallois. Nichols and Prepelic swapped threes, but Francisco finished the third quarter with a last-second layup that made it 62-60. Ivan Fevrier started the fourth with a triple and Ware had a put-back that opened a 68-60 advantage. Stipanovic replied with a three-point play and fastbreak layups from Nichols and Musa closed the gap to 68-67. Lisca and Francisco hit more threes for the hosts, but Cherry and Nichols, with a triple of his own, kept Cedevita close before a corner three from Musa put Cedevita in front 78-79. But Lesca replied with made his fifth shot from downtown and then fed Diaw for a layup and Ware for a tough banker for an 86-81 lead in the final minute. The hosts did not allow another point and celebrated their first win of the season.