With 21 points, guard Jaleen Smith was the outstanding Berliner in the victory in Villeurbanne Photo: picture alliance / nordphoto GmbH
By Nicolas Sowa
Alba Berlin has won its last game of the year and ended its negative streak in the Euroleague.
On Friday evening, the Berliners won against French champion Asvel Villeurbanne after an increase in performance with 91:79 (47:49). Previously there had been twelve defeats in a row in the premier class. Alba remains bottom of the table. The best Berlin throwers were Jaleen Smith with 21 points and Johannes Thiemann with 14 points.
From the beginning, an open exchange of blows developed with a lot of speed on both sides. After a balanced initial phase, it was Villeurbanne that was able to break away for the first time at the end of the first quarter (27:15). While Alba missed a few balls, the hosts hit almost everything – especially from distance.
The Berliners threatened to lose touch in the first half. But in the middle of the second period, the guests got into the game better. They got more rebounds and were able to stop Villeurbanne more often. They fought their way back up to half-time with the exception of two points.
After the change of sides, the game was much more balanced and the lead now changed back and forth. Alba was increasingly able to set the pace in the game and always respond quickly. A 15:0 run was possible across quarters and the Berliners were able to break away to 80:65. The German master couldn’t take that anymore.