Late 9-0 run lifts ASVEL past Trento

ASVEL Villeurbanne registered its third win of the season by downing Dolomiti Energia Trento 79-67 at home on Wednesday. ASVEL improved to 3-3 in Group D, while Trento dropped to 2-4. ASVEL will also have the tie-break advantage if the teams finish the regular season with the same record, since Trento recorded a 10-point victory in Italy. Amine Noua led the winners with 15 points. John Roberson added 13, Darryl Watkins posted 12 points and 12 rebounds, while A.J. Slaughter scored 10 points for ASVEL. Toto Forray and Dominique Sutton led Trento with 14 points apiece and Chane Behanan added 13 for the visitors.

Watkins needed just 12 seconds to get ASVEL going with a three-point play. Forray and Silins stepped for Trento and a put-back layup by Diego Flaccadori gave the visitors their first lead, 5-6. Noua took over with consecutive layups, but a driving layup by Silins ignited a 0-7 run, which Sutton capped with a big slam for a 9-12 Trento edge. Slaughter swished a jumper and Harper struck from downtown. Beto Gomes joined the three-point shootout, but a layup by Alpha Kaba restored an 18-17 ASVEL lead after 10 minutes. Behanan and Sutton each dunked early in the second quarter, but a driving layup by DeMarcus Nelson and another triple by Harper gave ASVEL a 25-24 edge. Forray followed a triple with a layup, Flaccadori scored around the basket and a dunk by Silins restored a 31-34 Trento edge. Back-to-back three-pointers by Slaughter and a layup by Kaba gave ASVEL the lead, 39-36, at halftime.

Lighty shined with a driving layup right after the break and Noua followed a dunk with a layup for a 46-39 ASVEL lead. Behanan tried to change things with a second-chance layup and Sutton dunked. Trento improved its defense and Forray hit consecutive floaters in a 0-8 run that put the guests ahead, 50-51. Roberson struck from downtown, Slaughter downed a jumper and Nelson gave the hosts a 56-54 edge after 30 minutes. Behanan followed a three-point play with a put-back layup early in the fourth quarter, but Kaba and Lighty scored around the basket and Noua added a dunk-and-foul for a 65-59 ASVEL lead. Gomes downed a corner triple and Silins added a reverse layup that made it 65-64, with over four minutes left. Noua, Lighty and Roberson combined for 8 points in a 9-0 run that sealed the outcome, 74-64, as Trento did not recover in the last couple of minutes. A late three-pointer by Roberson allowed ASVEL to get the tie-break advantage if both teams finish the regular season with the same record.