Le Mans wins in Paris, Monaco overthrows Pau-Orthez in Betclic Élite
The start of the Betclic Elite season has delivered its share of surprises but after five days, three candidates for the title share the lead of the Championship. Monaco joined Asvel and Boulogne-Levallois but the Roca Team had a very complicated Sunday afternoon in Pau (74-66).
Barely in the Euroleague, the Rocher club fell into the Pau trap. Leading by one point at the break (41-40), Danilo Andjusic and his teammates got frustrated after returning from the locker room as their marksmanship fell. Angry in front of the Monegasque bench, Zvezdan Mitrovic noticed, helplessly, the flight of Palois well guided by Justin Bibbins (15 points, 5 assists, 4 interceptions).
Held at six points in the third quarter, the Monegasques remained alive thanks to the many inaccuracies of the Béarnais near the circle (32% of total address). Without Mike James, absent from the scoresheet, two Americans then led the revolt of the Roca Team.
Paris Lee scored a vital dash to bring his own to five points. A few minutes later, the leader served the leaping Donta Hall to restore the advantage to the Monegasques. And on the next action, barely back in his camp, Hall sent a shot from Gregor Hrovat to knock out Élan Béarnais.
18-0
Monaco lifted an 18-0 at Pau in the last five minutes of the game to go from 66-56 to 66-74.
The Roca Team set off again from Béarn in the position of co-leader of the Championship while Pau was fifth, with a victory for its executioner.
Paris falls to Le Mans
After a victory wrested from Cholet thanks to Kyle Allman Jr, Paris relapsed. Opposed to Le Mans, the promoted was much too inconstant to afford a first victory at the Carpentier Hall (81-92). On the ropes after a great start to the MSB match (19-30, 10th), Jean-Christophe Prat’s team came back to two points from Manceaux at halftime (48-50). A return to the score punctuated by an improbable shot announced in imbalance of Ryan Boatright (plus the fault) to seven tenths of the buzzer.
But on the return from the locker room, Scott Bamforth (20 points, 7 assists) rested his paw on the match and the Manceaux found the address to fold the meeting. In the racket, the expected duel between the behemoths TaShawn Thomas on the Le Mans side and Kyle O’Quinn on the Paris side did not have a clear winner. The two Americans each scored 18 points.
Paris falls to the last place of Betclic Élite with the same record as Roanne. The MSB moved up to sixth place, in the team group with a victory of the three championship co-leaders.