It was a little bit of scary win but a win it was, 77-76 in Lyon for the third straight EuroLeague wins. Olimpia led for the majority of the night, from early in the second quarter right to the end. It entered the fourth quarter leading by 14 points and looking totally in control. Asvel gambles big in the fourth, using its zone defense to make Olimpia’s offense stagnant. “We panicked a little bit,” Coach Peppe Poeta said. The margin was getting reduced possession by possession, including a couple of unfortunate plays, a couple of missed free throws and the foul trouble that plagued the big men with Devin Booker’s game essentially ruined (he fouled out and was not available down the stretch). Asvel came within one late in the game. Marko Guduric, who had a great night, used a pump fake to get himself open and score the 77-74 field goal with 11 seconds left in the game. Then Braian Angola scored at the rim. Olimpia had to put the ball in play but failed. The video review gave the ball to Asvel. Angola went long with this potentially winning shot, N’Diaye came up from nowhere and put the ball back in but just a moment too late. So, Olimpia – playing without Leandro Bolmaro and Josh Nebo – was safe for the night.
Marko Guduric led the scorers with 18 points, went 6-for-7 from three and added seven assists, acting as a de facto point guard for long stretches. Quinn Ellis added 13 points, Zach LeDay 12 playing long minutes as a nominal center because no other option was available, Armoni Brooks scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high and a career-high 10 rebounds to help the team face the Asvel’s athleticism.
“We played a solid game for 30-34 minutes, we were in control, then we became stagnant offensively but the defense helped us to stay ahead. In the end we panicked a little and we got lucky but this is a win on the road, the third straight, which is never easy in the Euroleague. In Lyon, Panathinaikos won by one, Barcelona won in the end and we did the same against a pretty much alive team, overcoming huge problems with the bigs and their fouls,” Coach Poeta said at the end.
