Canadians Abroad: How Michelle Plouffe and ASVEL Created a Rivalry With Gdynia
Throughout the 2019-20 Euroleague Women season, there must have been something about their Polish opponents that brought out the best in Edmontonian Michelle Plouffe and her club, Lyon ASVEL.
Both times when they and Gdynia met in the regular season, they made for some of the most knife-edge, high quality basketball seen anywhere in world, leaving those who witnessed it wanting to see more of this newly-formed rivalry.
Their first meeting came in December, in the fifth Group B game, held in France. Plouffe scored twice and made an assist towards the end of a first quarter that saw the lead change hands four times. ASVEL led by seven but saw Gdynia's Maria Papova cut that down by the end of the opening period by one.
Barbora Balintova then gave Gdynia the lead early in the second quarter and assisted the two following shots, which saw them go up by five points. Marieme Badiane later tied the scores off an assist from Plouffe, who also assisted a Johannes three that gave the five point lead back to ASVEL. Balintova and Papova kept the scoreline tight before Marie Guelich gave Gdynia the lead just before half time.
At the top of the second half ASVEL went cold, which allowed Gdynia to take a double-digit advantage before they went cold themselves. Plouffe joined in a scoring run from ASVEL which cut their deficit down to three , but Papova, Balintova, Bec Allen restored the visitors' double digit lead in third and forth quarters, and they were looking at a nineteen-point lead.
Plouffe tried to restore pride for ASVEL, scoring eight points and making two steals and rebounds in last 3:30 of the game, which helped to bring the score down to 87-71. It was a loss, but Plouffe finished with 14 points and 11 total rebounds to her name, but behind 29 from Papova and a near-double-double from Barbora Balintova (22 points, 9 rebounds), Gdynia got the 16-point win on the road.
Their reverse fixtures was two months later, this time taking place in Poland. Here Plouffe opened scoring with an early 3 for ASVEL, who took a 9-2 lead after just 2:30 played. Gdynia made it a two-point game on two occasions in the first period's remainder, but ASVEL were kept afloat by Alysha Clark and Marine Johannes and Plouffe made the score sheet again, as well as making a block and assist to Clark, which saw the team lead by eight at the end of a breathless first quarter.
Angelika Slamova led a comeback for Gdynia in Q2, to came within four midway through the period. Their run was ended by Clark with a layup and later a three for ASVEL, who then had Plouffe contributing on both ends of the floor, propelling them to a double-digit lead at the half.
ASVEL's scoring continued into the second half with Gdynia going cold save for the occasional three pointer. At the end of a 7-0 run just from Plouffe, Barbora Balintova hit a three to reduce Gdynia's arrears by twenty. Kamila Podgorna tried to ignite a comeback for the home team, but time was not on their side at this point and they could not count on their opponents faltering.
A three from Plouffe with 3:30 to go would be the last of her game-high 25 points and the last score from ASVEL in the game. Gdynia managed to get within ten points in the remaining time, but it would not be enough for a clean sweep of ASVEL in the season.
Three Gdynia players finished with eleven points to their name here, while Clark registered 21 for ASVEL in the 92-82 victory. One of the eight wins at the end of the group stage that saw them qualify for the knockout round, which Gdynia fell short of. The post-season was short lived for all, though, as it was called off due to safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both of these match-ups were superb shows of basketball skill from Plouffe and all her supporting players, hopefully with a lot more to come. The 2020-21 Euroleague Women season has ASVEL and Gdynia in the same group - if the rivalry the two developed the year before can continue, it should provide plenty more spectacle in the new season and beyond.
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