EuroView: Trist and Andersen go for 22

Dan Trist and David Andersen led a great weekend for Aussies in Europe, with both big men scoring 22 points and Andersen helping ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne to a crucial victory.

Dan Trist | Credit: Oviedo Baloncesto

Dan Trist exploded for a season-high 22 points and 5 rebounds in Oviedo's 80-94 loss to Melilla in the Spanish second division. Trist was the leading offensive force among both teams, top-scoring for the game with his 22 points coming on 8/12 shooting from the field and 4/6 from the charity stripe. It was an exciting performance and shows his potential as a future top-league player. Oviedo provided excellent spacing for Trist and the offense ran particularly well for stretches, as Oviedo ended up shooting 48% from three-point range. Oviedo were completely dominated on the glass, outrebounded 37-22 and allowing 12 offensive rebounds, while collecting just 2 themselves. Outside of the rebounding, it was a good performance from Oviedo, but it is hard to separate this from the 14-point loss. With the loss, Oviedo slides to 6th on the league table.

David Andersen decided to have himself a game against 3rd ranked Chalon, and what a game it was. The Boomers veteran scored 22 points with 8 rebounds and 1 assist in 31 minutes in the French Pro A. ASVEL were lights-out from range (13/26) and David Andersen was no different. Andersen went a perfect 4/4 from behind the arc and 8/15 from the field, thriving in the free-flowing game in which both teams registered 18 assists. Built as the game of the round, the battle between the 3rd and 5th ranked sides delivered. Both teams executed well on the offensive end and ensured an enthralling battle for four quarters. While ASVEL were draining three-pointers from all points of the perimeter, Chalon couldn't buy a three. Chalon converted a miserable 6/22 and yet, were still in the game on the back of their ability to get to the line (19/24 FT). The 84-81 win moves ASVEL back into a four-team tie four third with a 15-8 record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ6F6ls28m8

Ater Majok was one of few to step up for Trefl Sopot in their 102-79 loss to Stelmet Zielona Gora in Poland. Majok led Trefl Sopot in scoring with 18 points (6/12 FT), 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 29 minutes. The Aussie big man was working in and around the paint, earning several trip to the free-throw line (6/8 FT) and making his presence felt. The two teams combined for 47 assists and had the ball buzzing around the court throughout the contest. Majok played well in a bad situation, as the game was dead at half time, with he margin at 27 already. It was to be expected considering that league-leaders Stelmet have dropped two games all season and Sopot are just two wins ahead of bottom-ranked Start Lublin.

Still in Poland, Daniel Dillon scored 15 points and was at his attacking best for PGE Turow against Cameron Gliddon's AZS Koszalin. Dillon's Turow started off slowly and built a lead each quarter, finishing with a 57-78 win. The experienced Dillon finished with 15 points (8/10 FT), 3 rebounds and 5 assists in 34 minutes. Unfortunately, Gliddon was held scoreless (0/5 FG) and contributed just one rebound in 16 minutes. The clash was a pivotal one in the league standings with Turow just one spot above Koszalin.

Following an important win over Khimky, Lokomotiv Kuban were underwhelming as they were accounted for 96-91 by sixth-ranked BC Nizhny Novgorod. Riding a 12-game winning streak heading into the game, Lokomotiv were clear favourites but came up short in the final minutes of the game. Trailing by 12 points heading into the final quarter, it was too big of a lead to chase down, despite a 27-34 final quarter. Ryan Broekhoff's contribution was limited to 10 points (1a, 1r, 3/9 FG) and a couple of three-pointers in 27 minutes. For both Lokomotiv and Broekhoff, it was just an average night, yet neither as a whole actually played bad at all; a sign of the form Lokomotiv is currently in. Lokomotiv remains 1 game ahead of Khimky with a 17-6 record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP_xyieHW6Y

Brad Newley's quiet output in the Spanish ACB continued as he brought his cumulative points in his last three games to 9, scoring 4 points in Herbalife Gran Canaria's 87-75 loss to UCAM Murcia. Newley was 2/5 from the field and had minor contributions from across the floor with 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Fortunately for Gran Canaria, it didn't matter, as they pulled themselves out of a first-quarter slump with an impressive display of basketball in the remaining three-quarters. They outscored 7th ranked UCAM Murcia 72-51 in the final three-quarters with high-quality ball movement and stifling defense. The win clearly entrenches Gran Canaria in 5th spot on the league table with a 15-8 record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq2VwialcVg

Brock Motum scored 9 points in BC Zalgiris Kaunas' double-digit win over Lietkkabellis in Lithuania. Zalgiris started the game strongly, but really improved in the second and third quarters until a fourth quarter charge from Lietkabellis produced a final score of 70-90. Motum was 4/5 from the field and provided a nice offensive punch off the bench. It was win number twenty-five from Zalgiris and keeps them three games clear of second-ranked Lietuvos Rytas.

The semi-finals of the Adriatic league kicked off with an upset as Buducnost fell 81-85 to Mega Lekes. Though, it was not for lack of trying on the behalf of Boomers center Aleks Maric who scored 9 points (4/7 FG) and 9 rebounds in 22 minutes. In a game full of twists and turns, both teams had strong quarters and traded blows until an imposing final quarter stretch from Mega Lekes secured the win and a 1-0 in the semi-final.

In other European news, Chris Goulding scored 3 points (1/5 FG), 2 assists and 1 rebound in 24 minutes as Auxilium Torino went down 86-73 to Betaland Capo d'Orlando in Italy. Another to have a quieter game was Mitch McCarron in the LEB Gold, scoring 8 points (3/5 FG) and 1 assist in 18 minutes as league-leaders Palencia suffered a shock defeat to Caceres 82-78.