What a triumph for Barça! A 75-82 away win against Asvel in what was a hotly contested game. After the defeat at the Palau against Virtus, Saras' team taste victory again after a great team performance in this EuroLeague match.
Less to more in the first half
The first quarter was poor offensively, Mirotic trying hard but coming up against a good home defence. With a low score of 15-11 going into the second quarter, Barça then began to score freely, racking up 31 points in just 10 minutes.
Abrines was very much in the groove (three consecutive three-pointers), Barça were growing into the game, and the effective attack meant a significant nine point lead at half time (33-42).
The third quarter saw the tables turned, with the home side scoring 9 without reply to tie the game at 42-42. Fall scored 23 points and was proving a real nuisance for the Barça defence. All the same, Higgins came through to restore the lead before the end of the quarter (60-63).
Last quarter push
Barça again started the fourth poorly, conceding 6 points without reply, but the game became very much to-and-fro from this point onwards. However, another three-pointer by Abrines, plus a superb Higgins, scoring eight consecutive points to end the game, sealed the win. Final score 75-82 and win to remain towards the top of the Euroleague table.
Game stats
Asvel Villeurbanne, 75
Barça, 82
Asvel Villeurbanne: Jackson-Cartwright (7), Mathews (17), Risacher (7), Noua (4), Fall (23) - starting five -, Obasohan (4), Diot (2), Polite (-), Yves Pons (-), Kahudi (11).
Barça: Laprovittola (5), Kuric (2), Kalinic (3), Mirotic (19), Vesely (4) -starting five -, Higgins (16), Jokubaitis (13), Sanli (4), Àlex Abrines (14), da Silva (2), Oriol Paulí (-), Tobey (-).
Quarters: 15-11 / 18-31 / 27-21 / 15-19
Referees: Damir Javor, Michele Rossi, Gentian Cici
Photo: Courtesy of the EuroLeague
