JDA Dijon Stuns Strasbourg with Defensive Dominance – Key Player Gavin Shines

JDA Dijon secured a vital victory against Strasbourg, showcasing a renewed defensive strategy and the exceptional performance of Gavin Ware, while Strasbourg faced significant offensive challenges.

Key Takeaways from the Match

• Defensive Shift: JDA Dijon prioritized a strong defensive presence, reminiscent of their form from January, successfully limiting Strasbourg’s scoring opportunities.
• Gavin Ware’s Impact: Ware’s defensive contribution was lauded as a turning point, forcing the opposition to shoot at a significantly reduced rate.
• Strasbourg’s Offensive Struggles: Strasbourg struggled to generate consistent offense, hampered by poor shooting and a low assist count.

“It’s a very nice victory because we knew it was an important match for the two teams in the Playin race. They had beaten us to go (91-94) So it was necessary, in relation to the first leg and the accounting situation, to try to win.”
— Laurning Law, JDA Dijon

“Even if Strasbourg tried to bring the ball to life, to attack our defense by a game of passes, we were aggressive, present on the rotations and we forced them to shoot 40 % on the whole match. Congratulations to all players and the symbol is Gavin (Ware) which offensively does not make a large part this (SATURDAY) evening but on the other hand defensively it is one of his best matches of the year.”
— Thomas Douroot, Strasbourg

“We are very happy because we knew that for the Playoffs/Playin race it was an important match, that we had to win if we really wanted to place ourselves. After a shy start, we really imposed our defense, our pace, we collected 58 points, only 5 in the second quarter. When you collect less than 60 points, it is 95 % chance of winning. We had made the last three games with more than 80-90 points so the coach told us that we had to find that. Everyone brought something, we made the mistakes to stop their rhythm.”
— Axel Julien, JDA Dijon

“We did not play a good game today, especially the last two minutes of the first quarter and the second quarter. We did not play a good basketball. Without the last minutes they would not have scored more than 70 points so we cannot ask for more from our defense but offensively we were not in it. We missed a lot of open shoots, but that is part of the game. We did not capitalize on the momentum of the two victories in a row. Since Thomas (Drouot, the coach) arrived we really progressed and we play basketball better than before. We knew how they were going to play, they always play in the same way but we made bad decisions and when we took good we missed the shots.”
— Filip Kruslin, Strasbourg

The victory propels JDA Dijon closer to securing a spot in the Playin race, while Strasbourg will need to address their offensive inconsistencies to maintain their momentum.

Did you know? Dijon’s strategy of limiting their high-scoring games seems to be paying off, as evidenced by their 58 points in the winning effort.

Call to Action: Share your thoughts on this game and the impact of Dijon’s defensive shift in the comments below!