Panathinaikos AKTOR secured a comfortable 92-68 victory over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at the OAKA stadium in a match for the 6th round of the EuroLeague regular season. Lorenzo Brown emerged as the top scorer for the home team, contributing 17 points.
Panathinaikos AKTOR started the game impressively, leading 9-0 by the 2nd minute and reaching a double-digit advantage at 18-5 by the 4th minute. Although the French team reduced the deficit to 18-9 by the 6th minute, the hosts responded, pulling ahead to 23-11 by the 8th minute and closing the quarter at 27-14. By the 14th minute, ASVEL had narrowed the score to 33-23, but Panathinaikos extended the lead to 40-25 by the 17th minute, with the first half concluding at 45-29.
The score hit 51-34 by the 22nd minute, though the visitors narrowed the gap to 51-38 shortly after, in the 23rd minute. By the 26th minute, Panathinaikos expanded their lead to 60-41, though ASVEL fought back to 63-50 by the 28th minute. The third quarter ended with Panathinaikos ahead 70-52, and by the 31st minute, the lead had grown to +21 (73-52). At the 35th minute, Panathinaikos stretched ahead to 83-59 and comfortably secured the victory at 92-68.
Quarters: 27-14, 45-29, 70-52, 92-68
Panathinaikos AKTOR (Ataman): Kalaitzakis 2, Brown 17 (3), Sloukas 9 (2), Osman 5 (1), Papapetrou 1, Grant 2, Nunn 14 (2), Lessort 9, Antetokounmpo 3, Hernangomez 13 (1), Mitoglou 7, Yurtseven 10.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (Poupet): Harrison 12, Schofield 6 (2), Kahudi 3 (1), Maledon 1, Ajinca 6 (2), Jackson 13 (1), De Colo, Sako 12, Lighty 7 (1), Ndiaye 4, Black 4, Mbye.
Ataman: “We played excellently”
Panathinaikos AKTOR's head coach, Ergin Ataman, shared his thoughts in the post-game press conference following the home game against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne:
“We played excellently today. Our defense was very strong. From the first to the last minute, we were aggressive, with effective defensive rotations that prevented their scorers from taking easy shots. We executed well in transition and had the chance to pull ahead early, but made ten turnovers.
This was an important and serious game for us, as every EuroLeague match is challenging and we must not underestimate our opponents, especially considering Villeurbanne’s impressive performance against Barcelona last week.
We need to wait until mid-regular season before talking about the Final Four. Only then can we say more.
Tonight’s game wasn’t easy, even though LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne is not at the top of the standings. Our new starters, including Lorenzo Brown, made significant contributions. Meanwhile, our more experienced players, such as Sloukas, are starting to regain their form. I believe everyone now has a clearer understanding that we can play excellent basketball as a team.
I am also very pleased with Omer Yurtseven’s performance. Although he missed some easy baskets, he was very aggressive. The same goes for Cedi Osman.”
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