By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne came in with another upset, this time against visiting Panathinaikos Athens and grabbed its second victory in this season’s EuroLeague with 79-78! This is a historic win for the club, as they are the first French team to defeat Panathinaikos in the modern era of the competition (last one was Cholet in 2000).
Charles Kahudi was the hero of the French team, checking himself in the most crucial moments of the game, while he finished the game with 10 points and two rebounds. David Lighty also made sure ASVEL remained competitive even when Panathinaikos led the race and exited the game with 18 points.
ASVEL managed to trim the deficit to three points with less than three minutes in the game. Two key plays by Fredette and Thomas respectively gave Panathinaikos a six-point advantage again, until Kahudi once again erased the Greek team’s lead to three. A few intense plays and another decisive shot by Kahudi and the game was tied at 78 points.
“I think that for 30 minutes we played pretty good for this time of the season. Our biggest issue was the rebounds and the missed free throws. In the last quarter, ASVEL played with four guards and we didn’t make the right decisions in defense”, said coach Argyris Pedoulakis after the game.
Panathinaikos was in control of the game for nearly three quarters, with DeShawn Thomas once again leading the Greens (22 points), while Jimmer Fredette complimented his teammate’s efforts with 18 points.
Photo credit: EuroLeague