Anwil edge out Cholet on the road to capture historic title

MUNICH (Germany) - Anwil Wloclawek claimed the FIBA Europe Cup title after completing a two-legged victory over Cholet Basket in the Finals.

The visitors for the second leg edged a tight contest 80-78 to seal an overall 161-155 victory on aggregate. 

Turning Point: Cholet took a 42-37 lead into the break, and led by as many as seven points on the night to set up an epic finale. Neither side had firm control of the second leg and the lead changed hands throughout an enthralling encounter.

The game went down to the wire with the hosts up 75-73 inside the final minute, but Anwil held their nerve and were able to secure the win to silence the sold out home crowd from the foul line.

Game Hero(es): Anwil were led in scoring by Sanders with an important 20 points, as they needed every point to take the victory. Malik Williams added a near double-double with 16 points and 9 rebounds with Finals MVP Phillip Greene adding 11 points.

Dominic Artis led all scorers with 23 points for Cholet with Perry Ellis putting up a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Stats Don't Lie: Yet again it was an inside-outside battle between the two teams - Cholet shot nearly 76-percent on two-pointers and dominated the foul shooting situation, while Anwil shot a blistering 45-percent from three-point range and it proved one big shot too many for the hosts to counter.

Bottom Line: The victory makes Anwil the first Polish club to win the FIBA Europe Cup title, while Cholet had to settle for being runners-up after a valiant effort having started their campaign from the Qualifiers. It was the Polish fans that were left celebrating at La Meilleraie.

 FIBA