ASVEL's comeback snaps one of Olympiacos' long-standing EuroLeague streaks / News - Basketnews.com

Olympiacos lost to ASVEL after leading by as many as 16 at half-time. That's the first time the Reds have lost a EuroLeague game in which they held a 15-point advantage after the first 20 minutes.

Credit: Olympiacos BC Credit Olympiacos BC

Olympiacos Piraeus collapsed in the final stretch of their game vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and suffered their fifth defeat in the EuroLeague season (75-77).

Player of the Game EFF 18 Charles Lombahe Kahudi Points 14 Accuracy 5-8 Rebounds 5 Assists 1

Amine Noua hit the game-winning three-pointer almost at the buzzer, concluding an incredible comeback for the hosts who were down by 21 points (33-54) after 24 minutes.

Of course, the Greek side has dropped several games in a similar fashion this season. One need only recall the contests vs. Valencia Basket in Piraeus, and those against Maccabi in Tel Aviv and Anadolu Efes in Istanbul where the Reds had a double-digit lead with two or three minutes left in the third quarter.

But the games against Virtus Bologna and Fenerbahce gave the impression that the team coached by Giorgos Bartzokas had gotten over their poor form. Two impressive home wins and a total margin of 73 points (46+27) rendered the team's fans ecstatic.

As fate would have it, in a period when Olympiacos were breaking some of their long-standing club records, the Reds recorded a negative first, largely thanks to Amine Noua's buzzer-beater.

According to Giannis Psarakis of BN Sports, Olympiacos lost for the very first time a game in which they led by 15 or more points at halftime (47-31). Until Thursday night, their record was 42-0, which means that the Greeks had always been able to protect their big leads.

Another statistical peculiarity is that Olympiacos lost only the 21st game out of a total of 620 contests in EuroLeague history, where a team was ahead by 16 points or more at half-time. This also marks ASVEL's first such comeback from a 15-point (or more) deficit.

Panathinaikos and CSKA Moscow are the two teams that have managed to stage more comebacks than any other team in the competition, having won three games while being down with 15 or more points at the break.

Olympiacos Piraeus / Schedule

Olympiacos Piraeus Virtus Segafredo Bologna117-71 Olympiacos Piraeus Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul94-67 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne Olympiacos Piraeus77-75 Olympiacos Piraeus Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade12-2219:00

On the other side of the scale as comeback 'victims' stand Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (three times), Unicaja Malaga, Olimpia Milano, CSKA Moscow, and now-defunct Montepaschi Siena (two times).

"It was a closed game. We didn't play well in the second half. Villeurbanne made some incredible shots in the second half," an apparently disappointed Giorgos Bartzokas said after the game.

"ASVEL played with passion until the end. It was a punishment for the way we played in the second half. We stopped thinking that from our defense we would control the game," the Greek coach continued.

"We should have finished the game earlier. We made a lot of mistakes in our approach in the second half, and that's why we lost."

For his part, Sasha Vezenkov said Olympiacos "made an amazing first half," which might have been the reason for their late downfall.

"We thought that everything would be fine, as it was in the beginning," the Bulgarian forward explained.

"Villeurbanne are a very athletic team. We lost our minds on both ends. We had to stay serious and focused. When a game goes down to the last shot, it's 50-50. We have to see what we did wrong, this defeat wounds us," Vezenkov commented.

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