


LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne celebrated a 79-73 road win at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after versatile forward Jonah Mathews enjoyed a brilliant second half, finishing with 17 points and 5 assists after a quiet opening 20 minutes. ASVEL now has a 7-13 record, while Milan dropped to 6-14, meaning that the Italian team has the joint-worst record in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings.
Nando De Colo added 13 points for the winners while Charles Kahudi and Youssoupha Fall chipped in with 10 each, highlighting ASVEL’s balanced effort. Milan’s Brandon Davies led all performers with a game-high 26 points and 8 rebounds, but he ran out of steam in the final quarter. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had 16 points for the home side, but only 2 of those came in the second half. Devon Hall also added 12. Milan slipped to its fourth successive defeat, whereas ASVEL snapped its five-game losing streak.
ASVEL made a bright start and carved out a 14-4 lead before Milan replied with a 10-0 run, which evened the score in a slow-paced first quarter. Charles Kahudi then stepped up with some big shots to give the visitors a 24-20 lead early in the second quarter.
Both teams played in fits and starts and Milan was able to close the gap to two points several times as long-range shots started raining in from all angles, with ASVEL securing a 42-37 halftime lead with a superb baseline three-pointer from De Colo that beat the buzzer.
At this stage, man-of-the-match Mathews was nowhere to be seen as he endured a tough first half and struggled to make shots against a physical Milan defense, with Davies finishing the first half on 11 points for the home side.
Milan looked like the more likely winners when it led 51-48 midway through the third quarter as Davies took charge and scored 12 points for the hosts in the third period. He displayed an impressive arsenal of weapons, comprising of layups, slam dunks and long-range shooting to leave ASVEL’S defense in tatters.
However, Mathews shone at the other end as he finally found his range and hit some audacious three-pointers and mid-range shots, allowing ASVEL to turn a 57-62 deficit early in the fourth into an unassailable 75-70 lead in the home straight.
Milan never recovered after ASVEL blitzed into a 7-0 run when it was five points down to turn the tide and, with time running out for the hosts, Alex Tyus sealed the win with a delicious dunk off a lovely assist from Mathews.
Several costly turnovers in the last few minutes, including one from Davies, who managed only 3 points in the final quarter and missed some vital free throws, caused irreparable damage to Milan, as ASVEL came away with a much-needed victory.