ºÚÁÏÉçÇø

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball battled hard on the road but could not hold off a late surge from LDLC ASVEL, losing 83-79 in a tense EuroLeague game on Thursday night in Villeurbanne, France.

For much of the evening, Dubai controlled the rhythm and tempo, displaying the kind of cohesion and offensive flow that has defined their promising EuroLeague debut season.

After a balanced opening half that ended 44-44, Dubai came out firing in the third quarter, stringing together a 10-2 run behind the energy of Dwayne Bacon and the inside presence of Mfiondu Kabengele. The visitors built a nine-point advantage heading into the final quarter, appearing firmly in command.

However, the momentum shifted in the closing 10 minutes as ASVEL, spurred by veteran guard Nando De Colo, mounted a furious rally. Dubai’s shots stopped falling at crucial moments, while the home team capitalized on every mistake to turn the tide and secure the win.

Despite the narrow defeat, several Dubai players once again stood out. Bacon led the scoring with 22 points, continuing his strong offensive form, while Kabengele added 20 with his trademark energy. Serbian big man Filip Petrušev impressed with his all-round performance, recording 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists in a double-double outing.

Head coach Jurica Golemac’s squad showed once again that they can go toe-to-toe with any opponent in Europe, holding control for most of the game and displaying stretches of dominant basketball. Still, a difficult fourth quarter proved costly, leaving Dubai with a 3–3 record after six rounds.

The team will now look to regroup and return to winning ways in the next round, confident in their ability to bounce back from a loss that offered many positives.