ASVEL earn first road win of the season in Italy behind January signings
The right energy and the right attitude” pay off for ASVEL Photo credit: Infinity Nine Media
Wednesday, February 4th will be a date to remember for ASVEL, as they opened two important counters. First, their victory tally in 2026 in EuroLeague, after six consecutive defeats. Second, their away victories counter, since the club had not won a single match away from home this season in 11 attempts.
This trip to Virtus Bologna (12th) during a week dedicated to Italian clubs represents a two-for-one achievement for the Villeurbanne side. Bologna is nevertheless a solid home team, with twice as many victories at home (8) as away (4).
New signings shine in crucial victory
The Rhône-based team secured this beautiful success thanks to players who weren’t necessarily expected in such roles at the beginning of the season. The two new arrivals were once again crucial and were part of the five who finished the match on the court.
Paul Eboua (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Glynn Watson (19 points, 5 assists) were among the team’s four top scorers tonight. « We are not here just to be here. We are here to win, » declared the latter ambitiously after the match.
Match after match, the two January recruits increasingly resemble excellent picks by the management. With 15 points, it’s actually Angola’s lowest scoring output since his arrival. Monstrous numbers for this Colombian guard who arrived mid-season without ever having experienced EuroLeague before.
They were only surpassed by a clutch Glynn Watson (19 points, 5 assists) and Mbaye Ndiaye (16 points, 8 rebounds), once again working tirelessly. No Nando de Colo, no Edwin Jackson, David Lighty, or Bodian Massa tonight: no problems. Pierric Poupet managed to adapt by adjusting his rotations according to each player’s form.
With renewed heavy use of small ball, they nevertheless largely dominated the rebounding battle (42 to 28). They led throughout the match and resisted Bologna’s second-half comeback, especially driven by Carsen Edwards (20 points), as former Le Mans player Matt Morgan was injured before this game.
This ended the terrible losing streak for Villeurbanne and provided much-needed relief. However, it’s not enough to escape the last place that has stuck to them for weeks. Hosting Olimpia Milano might provide that opportunity.
« It’s called resilience. This is our first victory of 2026, and our first away victory of the season. I’m very happy for my guys, and proud of them. Every EuroLeague game is a war. I think we had a much better first half than second half. But when you play with the right energy and the right attitude, you give yourself chances to win, and that’s what they did today, so congratulations to them… Bologna made a comeback as we expected. We had difficult moments for 5-6 minutes, but the guys fortunately showed character, it’s thanks to them, » said Pierric Poupet in his post-game interview with EuroLeague TV.
Some @LDLCASVEL Transition ball 💨#MotorolaMagicMoment @Moto pic.twitter.com/2KMrarmHlF
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) February 4, 2026
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