Four players short, including the late scratching of Marko Guduric and Shavon Shields, Olimpia used its next man up mentality to defeat Asvel Villeurbanne 80-72 after a game led for 40 minutes, every possession, not a beautiful one but the one that was needed. With Coach Ettore Messina sidelined by flu-like simptoms, the team was coach by Peppe Poeta. The rotation patterns was different to address the absences but Olimpia played tough, was plagued by too many unforced turnovers, the low tempo set by the opponent and some point blank misses, but had the guts to respond any time Asvel became threatening. Nico Mannion scored 10 first-half points; Devin Booker took charge in the second half; Armoni Brooks had another offensive gem. At some point late in the game he responded any time Asvel scored keeping them at distance. Leandro Bolmaro was full of energy. Pippo Ricci made a huge three and Stefano Tonut gave the team a big defensive lift off the bench. However, the game looked like the classic game you cannot put away, regardless. After building a late eight-point lead, that looked decisive, Tonut was called for a flagrant foul, committed while stumbling on the ground and inadvertently touching Ndiaye’s calf. After the ensuing free-throw, Watson banked in a desperate three completing a five-point possession. Olimpia kept the poise and finished anyway. Bolmaro in the last minute took over, drawing fouls and scoring twice.