Olimpia pays for the absences and a terrible shooting performance. Lo misses the tying triple in the final, the French win 81-77
A defeat that smacks of surrender. Olimpia falls 81-77 at Asvel and risks abandoning the few remaining hopes of qualifying for the playoffs. Sixteenth defeat in twenty-seven days, the eleventh in thirteen away matches, which came at the end of a game spent chasing and ended with yet another failed comeback after Lo’s mistake on the potential triple of the equalizer. The absences of Mirotic, Napier, Tonut and Flaccadori penalized Milan’s offensive performance, which shot poorly from the field (10/34 from 3) and did not find the usual points from Shields (9 with 3/10). De Colo and Lauvergne lead the French to their sixth victory of the season.
difficulty
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The start of the game is all about balance. The two teams exchange baskets attacking the rim, but in the final part of the first quarter it is Asvel who finds the first advantage of the match. Olimpia suffers from the ball movement and the physicality of Lauvergne and Ndiaye, the defense struggles to find the right pairings and the attack builds few advantages: De Colo’s triple at the first siren gives the French a 22-13 lead. In the second quarter Milan gets back into the game, and after a team 0/6 from 3 points Maodo Lo takes care of scoring the first basket from outside. The German and McGruder are the protagonists of the Milanese attack, but it is still Lauvergne (12 points shooting 6/6 in the first half) who restores the distance. The triple from the corner after a dribble trick by Luwawu-Cabarrot sends Asvel even up 11, but Hall’s two triples at the end allow the Messina team to stay in touch: at half-time it’s 39-35 for the hosts.
collapse and regret
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The second half opens with Lee’s triple, but Olimpia manages to stay in the game with the good contribution of Ricci from the bench. Lo’s layup in transition brings EA7 back to one possession, but De Colo’s return to the field shifts the momentum to Asvel’s side. The two consecutive triples by the French point guard put 7 points back between the two teams, but Hall is still the one to respond from behind the arc: we enter the last quarter with the score 62-56. Lo’s opening triple deceives Olimpia, because first Scott then Yaacov, led by De Colo, score a run that brings Asvel up +17. The Milanese defense always runs idle and the difference in energy on the pitch is clear, as evidenced by the 10 turnovers. The French, however, give up too soon and the Messina team believes in the comeback: Hall, Lo and Hines find one basket after another and Shields’ triple gives the score -3. In the last possession, Maodo Lo misses the triple of a possible equalizer and Ndiaye’s free throws close the game.
Villeurbanne: Lauvergne 17, De Colo 13, Scott 12
Milan: Hall 19, Lo 15, Hines 11
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