Mathieu Warnier, Media365, published on Tuesday December 23, 2025 at 11:25 p.m.
After two overtimes, ASVEL was able to have the last word against Anadolu Efes Istanbul (103-99 to 2) in a bottom of the Euroleague match.
ASVEL knew how to demonstrate self-sacrifice. Last in the Euroleague standings, the Rhone club had to go through two overtime periods to overcome Anadolu Efes Istanbul in a bottom-of-the-table duel. The Istanbulites started this meeting very strongly. Vincent Poirier (17 points, 8 rebounds) showed his advantage to give his team a five-point lead after four minutes of play. Except that Zac Seljaas (9 points, 5 rebounds) then Edwin Jackson (7 points) adjusted the sights to sign an 8-0 and put ASVEL back in front on the scoreboard. The end of this first quarter saw the two teams engage in a back and forth battle concluded by Glynn Watson Jr (18 points), which allowed the Rhone club to take the lead of a unit. A trend which did not wane at the start of the second quarter. However, Mbaye Ndiaye (13 points, 8 rebounds) made two baskets in the space of a minute to give his team a four-point lead. Anadolu Efes Istanbul immediately responded to regain control before being thwarted by Nando de Colo (5 points, 7 assists), whose three-point shot put ASVEL back in front two minutes before the break.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul held on
If Mbaye Ndiaye thought he would allow Pierric Poupet’s players to return to the locker room with the advantage, Vincent Poirier tied the two teams at the last minute. Upon returning to the LDLC Arena floor, the Istanbul club set its pace. Which gave him an eight-point lead in just four minutes. A technical foul punishing the Rhone bench sparked revolt among Bastien Vautier (28 points), who imposed his physique to bring his team to four points. Isaia Cordinier (20 points) then stood out by scoring five points in the space of 35 seconds. ASVEL finished this third quarter strong with a 5-0 to come back four points with ten minutes still to play. Supported by its public, ASVEL gave everything to come back but missed several opportunities to equalize. Thomas Heurtel (17 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists) found the target to allow his team to go ahead by one point at the start of the last five minutes. A high-tension end to the match saw the Rhone team take a three-point lead and maintain this gap with twelve seconds remaining.
ASVEL held up over time
Except that Nick Weiler-Babb (20 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists) was precise enough to put Anadolu Efes Istanbul back up to speed seven seconds from the buzzer. Glynn Watson Jr had the match point but without converting it. The two teams embarked on a five-minute overtime, which turned into a back-and-forth. Rolands Smits (5 points) then Isaia Cordinier gave the Istanbulites a three-point lead with 90 seconds to play but an ever-catchy Bastien Vautier was able to snatch a second overtime, Rodrigue Beaubois (8 points) twice failing to give victory to Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Five more minutes which started at the same tempo with ASVEL which tried to take the lead but falling on an opponent still able to catch up. It was in the free throw game that the decision was made. Mbaye Diaye then Shaquille Harrison (4 points) sealed the fate of the match. ASVEL signs its fifth victory in 18 matches with a four-point lead (103-99 a2p). A result which does not allow the Rhone residents to abandon last place in the ranking to Bayern Munich, beaten by Hapoel Tel Aviv (72-82). Anadolu Efes Istanbul, beaten for the second time in a row, is in 18th position.
