2019-20Regular SeasonRound 5
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 66
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 63
October 29, 2019 CET: 20:45
Local time: 20:45 ASTROBALLE

ASVEL downs Baskonia in a thriller

After a back-and-forth battle that came down to the final seconds, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne grabbed its third win of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season by edging KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 66-63 at home on Tuesday. ASVEL improved to 3-2 in the standings while Baskonia dropped to 2-3. Tonye Jekiri led the winners with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Ismael Bako added 11 points and 3 blocks while Antoine Diot had 10 points for ASVEL. Toko Shengelia had 17 points for Baskonia and Youssoupha Fall added 11. Shengelia shined early, getting help from Nik Stauskas and Michael Eric to give Baskonia a 16-23 margin after 10 minutes. Matthew Strazel struck twice from downtown but Fall joined forces with Shengelia to keep the visitors ahead, 30-36, at halftime. Strazel, David Lighty and Edwin Jackson rescued ASVEL and Bako brought the hosts within 48-49 after 30 minutes. Diot took over early in the fourth quarter and Jekiri made the difference with key free throws down the stretch.

Shengelia got Baskonia going with a running hook and Shavon Shields added a jumper for a 0-4 lead. Jekiri buried a catch-and-shoot jumper, but Stauskas improved it with a triple and Shengelia scored twice around the basket to boost the lead to 2-11. Diot struck from downtown and Jekiri added a jumper, but Eric kept Baskonia ahead, 7-15. Charles Kahudi downed a triple, which Lighty followed with a turnaround jumper for a 12-15 ASVEL deficit. Matt Janning joined the three-point shootout, getting help from Luca Vildoza and Fall to give Baskonia a 16-23 margin after 10 minutes. Strazel sank a three-pointer early in the second quarter. Fall kept pacing the visitors with a put-back slam and Garino nailed one from beyond the arc for a 21-28 Baskonia lead. Strazel hit another triple and Jekiri added a put-back layup, but Fall and Shengelia kept the guests fully in charge, 28-32. Livio Jean-Charles scored in the low post only to see Shengelia answer for a 30-36 Baskonia lead at halftime.

Rihards Lomasz scored in penetration soon after the break, then Jekiri and Strazel combined for all the points in a 7-0 run that tied the game at 39-39. Shengelia rescued Baskonia with a jump hook and a driving layup by Stauskas gave his team fresh air at 39-43. Lighty answered from downtown and Jackson found his first points, but Garino and Ilimane Diop kept the visitors ahead, 45-49. Bako made it 48-49 after 30 minutes. Vildoza hit a floater early in the fourth quarter, but Bako answered with consecutive dunks to give ASVEL its first lead, 52-51. Jekiri scored in the paint after a Baskonia timeout and Diot caused the visitors to stop the game again at 57-51. Vildoza nailed a three-pointer, but so did Diot for a 62-56 ASVEL lead with 4 minutes left. Baskonia was not done, however, as Shengelia dunked and Pierria Henry banked in a triple to bring the visitors within 63-61. Jekiri drew a couple of fouls and hit 3 of 4 free throws. Fall hit a tip-in and Vildoza missed twice from downtown in the final seconds.

Pivotal performer

Jekiri made the difference with key free throws late, but also throughout the game. He finished the game with 16 points on 5-of-10 two-point shooting and 6-of-9 free throws plus 11 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 25. It was his fourth double-double this season.

Game-changing moment

Baskonia led 45-49 early in the fourth quarter, but Diot led a 12-2 run highlighted by Bako's consecutive dunks. In the end, the game went down to the wire and Baskonia could have sent it to overtime in the final seconds, but that reaction allowed ASVEL to keep the initiative in the decisive minutes.

Stellar stat

Baskonia was limited to just 5-of-21 shooting from downtown (23.8%). ASVEL's defense stopped Baskonia's ball circulation; the visitors were only able to dish 11 assists and they committed 13 turnovers. ASVEL did a bit better, dishing 17 assists and with only 12 turnovers.

Did you notice?

Strazel made his EuroLeague debut at age 17; he was born on August 5, 2002. He played 13 minutes and finished the game with 9 points, hitting 3 of his 4 shots from beyond the arc. ASVEL brought out yet another youngster who stepped in for injured up-and-coming talent Theo Maledon.

Next game

Both teams return to Turkish Airlines EuroLeague action later this week - on Friday, November 1. ASVEL visits Valencia Basket. Baskonia hosts FC Bayern Munich.

David Lighty - LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne - EB19
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Euroleague.net
Referees: CHRISTODOULOU, CHRISTOS; ROCHA, FERNANDO; KARTAL, ERSAN
Attendance: 5516
By Quarter1234
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne16141818
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz23131314
End of Quarter1234
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne16304866
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz23364963
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
1 JACKSON, EDWIN 28:33 4 0/2 1/6 1/2   4 4 2   2     1 4 3
2 TAYLOR, JORDAN 7:16   0/1           2   1          
3 JEKIRI, TONYE 27:19 16 5/10   6/9 5 6 11 2 1       2 5 25
5 KAHUDI, CHARLES 27:45 3 0/1 1/4   1 4 5     1 1 1 1 4 6
9 LOMAZS, RIHARDS 7:47 2 1/3                   1 2   -3
11 GALLIOU, CHARLES 0:25                              
12 NOUA, AMINE 18:47     0/2   1 2 3 2 1       2 1 3
17 JEAN-CHARLES, LIVIO 10:46 2 1/2     1 2 3 2   1 1   4 1 3
19 DIOT, ANTOINE 24:02 10 1/3 2/4 2/4   1 1 3 2 2     4 5 9
21 BAKO, ISMAEL 12:21 11 4/6   3/5   1 1       3   1 3 13
23 LIGHTY, DAVID 21:42 9 1/5 1/1 4/4 1 1 2 4   1   1 2 3 10
32 STRAZEL, MATTHEW 13:17 9   3/4     1 1     3     1 2 7
Team           1 2 3     1         2
Totals 200:00 66 13/33 8/21 16/24 10 24 34 17 4 12 5 3 20 28 78
        39.4% 38.1% 66.7%
Head coach: MITROVIC, ZVEZDAN
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
3 VILDOZA, LUCA 27:08 9 2/5 1/7 2/2   1 1 4 2       3 3 7
5 GONZALEZ, MIGUEL DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7 HENRY, PIERRIA 23:06 3 0/1 1/2     3 3 2   3     1   2
11 JANNING, MATT 13:35 3 0/2 1/3         1   1   1 3 1 -4
12 DIOP, ILIMANE 5:40 2 1/2 0/1                   1   -1
19 FALL, YOUSSOUPHA 20:12 11 5/7   1/2 4 3 7     1 1   4 1 12
22 STAUSKAS, NIK 18:45 5 1/2 1/2     2 2 1   2 1   4 2 3
23 SHENGELIA, TORNIKE 30:18 17 6/9 0/1 5/6 1 6 7 2   2 1   3 8 25
29 GARINO, PATRICIO 18:44 6 1/5 1/3 1/1 2 4 6 1   1   2 4 1 1
31 SHIELDS, SHAVON 17:37 2 1/2 0/1     2 2         1 1    
33 POLONARA, ACHILLE 10:33 1 0/1 0/1 1/2 1 2 3   1 1   1 1 3 2
50 ERIC, MICHAEL 14:22 4 1/4   2/2 2 2 4   2 2     3 1 3
Team           2 2 4               4
Totals 200:00 63 18/40 5/21 12/15 12 27 39 11 5 13 3 5 28 20 54
        45% 23.8% 80%
Head coach: PERASOVIC, VELIMIR

Head Coaches

MITROVIC, ZVEZDAN
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
"The feeling is great, really, and congratulations to my guys and to all the fans that supported us. It was really a great atmosphere to have at home and I think that my players felt that energy and pushed them to play. First of all, amazing defense and not too bad offense, of course, so congrats to all of my guys for their big heart and big effort. Super! Matthew [Strazel] is a good guy, a talented player. When I saw him in practice for the first time last year, he played with the older guys and had to respect them in a positive way. He felt comfortable, shot, passed the ball and played hard on defense. I think the guy deserved the minutes and I like to give chances to everybody in my team. He grabbed his chances and played well."
PERASOVIC, VELIMIR
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
"First of all, congratulations to ASVEL. They deserved the victory and fought from the first until the last minute. I think the game was open until the end. We dominated a lot of times, but in the last 10 minutes, they played with more energy and used their energy to win. I am not thinking about other team's players. I am happy because young players played but now, I am thinking about my team. I am surprised because we never saw him [Matthew Strazel] before. [Youssoupha Fall] is playing with a lot of interest. He wants to grow up and has some very good games, but needs to adapt to our basketball. He will be a very important player for us; he is already an important player for us."

Players

STRAZEL, MATTHEW
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
"I felt a little bit of pressure when I came on the court, but I was focused on my defense and I had the chance to make some open shots. Coach gave me my chance, he told me he’s confident in me and I’m very thankful!"
BAKO, ISMAEL
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
"It is really great. We knew it was going to be a tough match, but we are a really good home-court team and the fans were there. We really had a lot of energy, especially in the second quarter. It is a good win. We really had to give 100% from the start until the end. We knew it was going to be really difficult, especially against a really good team, but we really gave everything and once we started to make everything, the crowd started to go crazy and gave us an extra boost. If you have that confidence, I don't think anyone can stop us. We have to prove that we don't only win at home. In a couple of days, we will try to prove that we can also play away."
JEKIRI, TONYE
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
"It was a great team fight, our team spirit was there. Our coach told us to believe in ourselves and we just had to play because this is all we got. We had to stick together and grind it out, so it was a good win. We just kept believing in ourselves. We just had to do the little things right, control the rebounds and make less turnovers. That is what brought us back into the game."
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