By: Jay Yeomans

Published: October 10, 2019

Jimmer Fredette had another fantastic shooting performance on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t enough as French League club LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun Panathinaikos 79-78.

Fredette was locked in from beyond the arc as he connected on 4 of 6 shots from 3-point land on his way to a EuroLeague season-high 18 points. He added four rebounds, and three assists in 28:17 on the floor.

The former BYU star made his presence felt during the opening minute as he caught a pass from Nick Calathes in transition and calmly knocked down the right-wing three. He added his next basket of the night in the second quarter when he got into the lane, thanks to a spin move before a quick pump fake opened up enough space for him to convert on a short bank shot.

Fredette was back at it a minute later when he curled off a screen and drilled a 3-point shot from the top of the key to bring the Greens within a point.

His third 3-pointer of the night came midway through the third quarter when he used a Georgios Papagiannis screen to create some space before knocking down a deep bomb from the left-wing.

Jimmer found the bottom of the net from distance one more time when he cut to the right corner late in the fourth and found the range on a perfectly timed pass from DeShaun Thomas.

The Jimmer Watch YouTube Channel shared highlights from the impressive shooting display.

Former Ohio State star David Lighty led the way for ASVEL in the win finishing with 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 from deep. He added four rebounds and four assists in 30:54.

Tonye Jekiri also had a big game with 15 points and 12 rebounds, including a difference-making seven on the offensive end.

For Panathinaikos, Thomas finished as the leading scorer with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field including 2-for-2 from deep, while connecting on his two free throws. He also chipped in with six rebounds and two assists in 32:16.

Nick Calathes also scored in double figures for the Greens with 13 points while handing out a game-high eight assists in 33:58.

Through two EuroLeague games, Fredette is averaging 14.5 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, 62.5 percent from deep and 88.9 percent from the foul line. He also chips in with 2.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 26:46.

Thoughts on the game

Jimmer’s adjustment to European basketball has been pretty seamless so far despite the loss on Wednesday. He is shooting extremely well from the floor but especially from beyond the arc where the shorter distance has helped to bolster already impressive shooting percentages.

Up next

Fredette and Panathinaikos return to Greek League action on Sunday to face off with Promitheas Patras.

Promitheas will be a tough test, having started out its season with three wins in four tries including both games in Greek League. Some familiar faces to watch for are former Iowa State wing, Chris Babb and former Mercer guard, Langston Hall who played a huge role in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history when his Bears shocked Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood and the Duke Blue Devils.