EuroView: Andersen doubles up in France
David Andersen and Daniel Dillon were again the leading Aussies in Europe this past week. Andersen recorded a double-double as the anchor of the ASVEL offense and in Poland, Daniel Dillon was at his aggressive best.
With his important double-double, Andersen helped ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne to their sixth consecutive French Pro A League victory with a 52-64 win over Limoges CSP Elite. Andersen continued his stellar form for the league leaders, scoring 17 points (8/17 FG) alongside 10 rebounds and 1 assist. He was a focal point for the ASVEL offense, with almost a third of all ASVEL possessions ending in a field goal attempt. The veteran big man has recaptured his form and is the anchor of the current ASVEL offensive setup. He is receiving consistent minutes and delivering, which is a great sign for ASVEL's championships aspirations and the Australian Boomers Rio 2016 Olympic campaign.
The match itself was not one for the highlight real, with both teams struggling to finish; ASVEL would be disappointed with their inability to get to the line (4/6 FT). ASVEL were somewhat sloppy with 17 turnovers, yet were able to demonstrate composure and maturity to close out the game in all the important moments. A final quarter onslaught by ASVEL swept them to victory, their 12th win in 14 games this season.
It is always the war ... It was a great team game, we stayed calm when necessary!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dr_aiGIxew
Over in Poland, Dillon lived at the line in PGE Turow’s win over AZS Koszalin, 85-78. Dillon finished with 19 points (4/11 FG), 5 rebounds and 5 assists in yet another great all-round performance. Dillon had an impact all over the court and importantly, he kept attacking the line, eventually finishing 9/11 at the charity stripe. He attacked the rim and didn’t overplay his hand with his playmaking (1 turnover); two big indicators of how Dillon is playing.
As a team, Turow had a good shooting night and this is what ended up being the difference. They converted 27/38 at the line while Koszalin only had 9 free throw attempts. On top of that, Turow connected on 10/23 three-pointers to virtually seal the game, while the visitors were restricted to 12/33. The win maintains 11th spot on the league table for Turow as they look to climb their way back to the top.
In the VTB United League, Lokomotiv Kuban recorded a convincing 71-89 victory over BC Kalev Cramo. The result wasn’t really a surprise, however Ryan Broekhoff was unable to capitilise by padding his stats against weaker opposition. While Lokomotiv were forced to rally from a second quarter slump, they came out hard and took control of the match with a 10-28 third quarter.
Broekhoff added 7 points (3/5 FG), 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 25 minutes in a solid yet unassuming role. Broekhoff did try to make his presence felt with his playmaking and crashing the glass, but he simply needs to find ways to get more shots away. The versatile swingman has an excellent offensive arsenal and needs to find ways to put himself in scoring positions within the Lokomotiv offense. The win was valuable for the visitors, moving up to sixth on the league table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqLarPgzBXE
After forcing OT with a buzzer-beating three-pointer in their Eurocup loss, Brad Newley and Herbalife Gran Canaria were humbled by the undefeated Valencia 86-61. Newley scored 7 points (2/8 FG) with 3 rebounds and 1 assist as Valencia ran rings around Gran Canaria, dishing out 25 assists while shooting 54% from the field and 41% from three-point range. Gran Canaria were a bit flat from the start, before being completely run over in the second-half by a very impressive Valencia. Gran Canaria fell to sixth with the loss while Valencia remains unbeaten and on top of the Spanish ACB.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY7VqLKbhmQ
Mitch McCarron’s Palencia secured top spot in the LEB Gold with a dominant 78-60 victory over Caceres Basket. The game went according to script, with 13th ranked Caceres thoroughly outplayed by Palencia who coasted. Unfortunately McCarron saw just 9 minutes of court time and contributed 3 points in his brief stint on court.
Still in Spain, Dan Trist kept out of foul trouble as Oviedo were utterly decimated 95-65 by Melilla. Melilla slowly extended their lead throughout the match until the third term when they put on a 28-11 run to seal victory. Trist did play a solid role, contributing 12 points (6/13 FG) and 5 rebounds in the bad loss. He led Oviedo in field goal attempts and looked confident within the offense. Hopefully Trist can build on this form and stay out of foul trouble, as he has shown his value to Oviedo in both big wins and losses. Consecutive losses have moved Oviedo down to sixth on the league table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Clvj8mUUbJo
To round out this week's update, Brock Motum started in BC Zalgiris Kaunas' 82-88 loss to Neptunas in Lithuania. Motum had 4 points and 3 rebounds in 19 minutes as Zalgiris lost their first game of the season. His side only made 2/12 from downtown compared to Neptunas' 12 triples that ultimately proved the difference. With the loss, Zalgiris remains in first place with a 10-1 record.