Last night, Limoges CSP won against AS Monaco (84-80), inflicting the second consecutive defeat on Sasa Obradovic’s men. While the Roca Team seemed below their abilities with a voiceless Mike James, Limoges showed extraordinary strength of character to maintain their advantage at the end of the match.

The match between Limoges and Monaco was decided in the dying moments and everything almost changed when Jaron Blossomgame and Jordan Lloyd scored behind the line, allowing Monaco to call back 80-80 with 30 seconds remaining. But the energy of this Limoges team was such at Gaston-Médecin that the Monegasques finally lost in the last seconds, due in particular to a loss of the ball by Mike James. Limoges CSP coach Massimo Cancellieri did not hide his satisfaction at the end of the game:

“It’s difficult for me to analyze the match because the difference in quality is so big between Limoges and Monaco. This victory will perhaps allow us to earn the respect of the other teams in the championship. We want to return to the Champion’s League for a second time next year. I think that with this state of mind, we are capable of doing great things. Winning in Monaco has a special flavor. We also stood out behind, our defense was really good, especially in the second half. I say it and I’ll say it again, we all played with a good spirit, that’s the only thing we can use against Monaco. Obviously, I am happy with this trip and the result.

Wilfried Yeguete also analyzed the contours of this victory:

” We showed great strength of character against one of the best teams in the championship. We showed that we could be at their level. We had the whole break to prepare for this match. What made the difference were the important shoots at three points, we were really strong in this area tonight. Desy Rodriguez and Javontae Hawkins played a big game, and behind us were solid too. At the end of the game, we provided the defensive rebounds to secure the victory “.

The former Monegasque was happy to return to Gaston-Médecin and to triumph there but does not want to overestimate this victory:

“ It was very cool to come back here, some heads are still there and it made me happy to see some of them again. I’m happy to have won with Limoges here. But this victory is a victory like any other in the league, we must continue on this obtained. We can still fall back into our ways, it’s up to us to rely on this match to revive. »

The Monegasques may have thought of Fenerbahçe

Two days before the reception of the leader Fenerbahçe in the Euroleague, the Roca Team may have had their minds elsewhere. But for Sasa Obradovic, questioned on this question at a press conference, this is not an acceptable excuse:

” There is no explanation for this disillusionment. Limoges deserves to win, they prepared the game well. Mentally, they were above. If we don’t play to our maximum, each team can have its chance. This evening, Limoges took its chance brilliantly. The reception of Fenerbahçe and the Euroleague in general are not excuses “.

The Roca Team coach also clarified that Adrien Moerman, injured on Sunday evening, would be available Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Euroleague. For Yakuba Ouattara, the observation is the same. Monaco weren’t at their best and the match against the Turks was already on the minds of the players:

” We weren’t good at stopping Limoges tonight. There was a bit of fatigue and a lack of aggressiveness, but these are not valid excuses. We had enough to win, we must be able to play in both competitions. We put less intensity in the league, it’s already two defeats. Limoges wanted more than us tonight. You have to get your head in place quickly because the match against Fenerbahçe will come quickly. We will have to arrive ready and analyze tonight’s game to see what went wrong. We won’t have a chance if we play like tonight. The Turks have a lot of qualities, they are first in the championship and remain on a victory of 30 points. If we let them put their game in place it will hurt “.

Photo: Jacques Cormarèche