ASVEL needed a win to stay in touch with the peloton in EuroLeague. Against Maccabi Tel Aviv, TJ Parker’s team went to get her. The Rhone, who led the whole game, resisted the individual prowess of Scottie Wilbekin (25 points at 7/17 on shots, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 fouls caused for 29 evaluation in 29 minutes) in the final to keep 3 points ahead of the final buzzer (84-81).
The locals first built their lead by relying on Moustapha Fall (15 points at 7/9, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 fouls caused for 25 evaluation in just under 30 minutes). It climbed to +14 (46-32) before the Israelis returned from the locker room with other intentions, notably defensive. After a very high class award-winning shot from Wilbekin to conclude the third quarter, ASVEL was only +3 (67-64).
But a superb passage fromAmine Noua (11 points at 4/7 in 16 minutes), author of 7 points in a row, allowed ASVEL to close the gap (78-67 after a lay-up of David Lighty 4 minutes and 20 seconds from the end). But 2 minutes later, visitors were down to -2. Wilbekin scored 7 points in a row before sending Othello Hunter at alley-oop (80-78). But the former Florida Gators (NCAA) star failed to snatch overtime, allowing Villeurbanne to score a fourth win this season in the competition, one less than the losers of the day. They hope to add a fifth this Friday against the championship red lantern, the BC Khimki Region.
