ASVEL hangs on for sweep of Artland Dragons

In the first game with the new head coach Nordine Ghirb at the helm, ASVEL Lyon Villeurbanne held off Artland Dragons Quackenbrueck 84-83 in a thrilling Group B clash on Wednesday. ASVEL improved to 3-3, in a share of the third place in the standings, and also hold a season-sweep of the Dragons which made 15 three-point shots, but slid to 1-5 record. The hosts had 32-23 in the second quarter, and 69-59 at the end of the third, but the visitors both times rallied, and re-took the lead. ASVEL was in front as the game was going down to the wire, but a triple from Dragons’ Brandon Thomas tied it at 80-80 with 50 seconds to go. However, Taurean Green fed Amara Sy for a score on the ensuing possession, and Green then sealed the deal from the foul line in the final seconds. Sy finished with 19 points, and Ahmad Nivins had 18 points plus 8 rebounds for ASVEL. Edwin Jackson collected 13 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, David Lighty also scored 13, while Gree finished with 11 points in victory. Thomas went 4-for-6 from downtown with 14 points, and David Holston also had 14 points on 3 of 4 from long range. Lawrence Hill had 11 points and 7 rebounds, while Antonio Graves and Andreas Seiferth scored 10 each in defeat.

Triples from Holston and Thomas helped the visitors to 9-14 in the early going, but Sy and Nivins fueled a run capped by triples from Jackson and Travis Bader for 28-21 late in the opening period. Jumpers from Lighty and Bader made it 32-23 at the start of the second, but three-pointers from Chad Toppert, Hill and Thomas cut the deficit, before a fastbreak dunk from Thomas and a layup from Seiferth got the Dragons in front again, 38-41. However, Nivins and Sy made sure ASVEL takes 44-43 lead into halftime, before three three-pointes from Green in the opening 5 minutes of the second half helped the hosts to 60-51. David McCray and Bastian Doreth hit from downtown for the visitors, but Lighty buried one triple for ASVEL and Yohann Sangare made it 69-59 at the end of the third. But the Dragons rallied behind three triples from Hill and one from Holston. A layup from Seiferth made it 72-74. Jackson hit a three for the hosts, and Georgi Joseph a basket for 78-74. Threes from Graves and Thomas tied it at 80-80 with 50 seconds to go, but Sy scored a go-ahead basket for ASVEL, and after the hosts made a defensive stand, Green made a pair of free throws for 84-80. Margin bit enough that a last-second triple from Graves could not help the visitors.