David Gautier, after Asvel’s victory against Villeneuve-d’Ascq: “You had to be feverish to sound the revolt”

David Gautier, coach of the women’s Asvel, victorious over Villeneuve d’Ascq in the first leg of the Eurocup (84-80): “The final gap means nothing. We will have to win there. It’s a European Cup semi-final, it’s all about the details. We made too many mistakes in defense for three quarters. It was necessary to be feverish to sound the revolt, to find energy. It was no longer the same match at 43-53. We condensed our stray balls over a short period and that gave them some quick play. It’s important to keep winning, we could have lost this game. All the matches we play against them… They are the best of the year. It’s intense, modern basketball, a great fight awaits us there. »

Blake Dietrick, leader of Asvel: “We are happy with the victory because we are continuing our series but we also know that we only won by four points. It’s always hard to beat a team five times in a row. Despite all our mistakes, it feels good to win. We gave them easy points, we can’t afford it anymore. I could talk about Gabby (Williams) throughout the evening, she raises the level for everyone. She is a great player, she achieves great actions. The pressure is in Villeneuve’s camp. That doesn’t mean we don’t have it, just less. »

Rachid Meziane, coach of Villeneuve-d’Ascq: “You have to put things into perspective, today leaving Lyon with a small defeat of 4 points, it’s a good result, not the best result. Four points is surmountable, we will have to play a good match. I want to be optimistic, not satisfied, the bill could have been heavier. We stay alive. This kind of match, we would have lost it by a bigger gap at the beginning of the year. We still have room for improvement. »