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ASVEL complete stunning Finals double over Galatasaray
ISTANBUL (Turkey) - There was a sense of deja vu in the second leg of the EuroCup Women Finals as LDLC ASVEL Feminin turned on the style again to soar past Galatasaray Cagdas Factoring 85-57 in Istanbul.
Having amassed an outstanding 39-point lead in the first meeting in France, ASVEL rubbed salt into the wounds of Galatasaray with another fine display to land EuroCup Women silverware for the first time.
Turning point: As in the first leg, there wasn't one. Galatasaray needed to turn the defensive screw and get onto the front foot, but instead, it was ASVEL dictating yet again. The visitors raced 23-13 ahead in the first quarter and then piled on the agony with 32 points in the second period.
😳 𝗢𝗻. 𝗔. 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. 😳@MarineJ5 goes for 14 PTS and 5 AST in the first half! #EuroCupWomen | @ASVEL_Feminin pic.twitter.com/6hE1WYp4YO
— EuroCup Women (@EuroCupWomen) April 12, 2023
Game hero: Marine Johannes was again a standout performer as she followed up her impressive work in the first leg by dropping 20 points and handing out 6 assists in the process of being named MVP.
Stats don't lie: ASVEL poured in 50 points at home in the first half of the first leg and so it was galling for Galatasaray to leak an eye-bulging 55 points during the opening 20 minutes of this game. But perhaps the biggest number was the 76.7 percent ASVEL shot from two-point range.
We see you @LauraQuevedo_9! 🎯
— EuroCup Women (@EuroCupWomen) April 12, 2023
And so does @MarineJ5 😉#EuroCupWomen | @ASVEL_Feminin pic.twitter.com/ZMayUDxVR5
Bottom line: While this was not the kind of Finals that anybody had anticipated, you have to give enormous credit to LDLC ASVEL Feminin for not only their historic success, but also two breathtaking displays of ruthless and yet entertaining basketball. They delivered under pressure and produced two unforgettable nights for their fans. They were too quick, too athletic and too good by far and thoroughly deserved to be crowned champions for the first time.
Having made another title game, Galatasaray could barely have been further away from the third title they were aiming for. They were so far off the pace defensively, that their offense barely mattered. Picked apart, outrun, outgunned and outclassed in the two games, even the towering presence of Teaira McCowan was simply not enough - as it had been for much of the campaign.
FIBA