Alba Berlin has won its last game of the year and ended its negative streak in the Basketball Euroleague.
The Alba Berlin basketball players end 2022 with a win on the European stage. The Berliners won their away game at Asvel Villeurbanne on Friday evening (November 30th, 2022) 91:79 (47:49), thus ending their 12-game losing streak. The best thrower in Alba’s ranks was once again strong Jaleen Smith with 21 points.
Increase after a difficult start
At the beginning of the game, a lot looked like the 13th Euroleague defeat in a row. Defensively, Alba rarely found a means against the French in a good mood in the first quarter. Alba failed to stop Villeurbanne under the basket or on the wing. The hosts scored 27 points in the first ten minutes and ended up leading 27:15.
Alba, on the other hand, needed a little time to really wake up and also gain offensively. This was achieved impressively at the end of the second quarter. Alba now made numerous good throws, made the game fast again and again and convinced with good odds. 32 Berlin points in the second quarter reduced the gap to 47:49 at the break.
Alba spins the game
In the third quarter, too, Alba played with the ease and rhythm that the Berliners had increasingly lost in the Euroleague in recent weeks. The protégés of coach Israel Gonzalez secured the lead early on (50:49) and then increasingly expanded it. With a 73:65 from Alba’s point of view, we went into the final quarter.
In this, the guests only briefly raised doubts, if at all, as to whether they would actually end their series of defeats this time. Alba cooled off a bit offensively, but remained solid and now defended even better. Asvel only scored 14 points in the last quarter and so Alba’s players finally celebrated a deserved 91:79 win.
