Monaco won against Gravelines this Saturday (77-89) and strengthens its position as the leader in Betclic Elite. Meanwhile, Nanterre is temporarily in second place after a clear victory against Le Portel (59-90).
Surprised in Nancy a week earlier, Monaco regained momentum in Betclic Elite. Playing in Gravelines without players Mike James, Nikola Mirotic (both injured), and last-minute absence Daniel Theis, Monaco waited until the beginning of the second quarter to take the lead. With an eight-point advantage at halftime (37-49) extending to a 14-point lead in the second half. Matthew Strazel was instrumental in Monaco’s success with 13 points and 11 assists. The top scorer of the match, Elie Okobo (Monaco) with 18 points, outshone the Dunkirk team, who couldn’t rely on Edon Maxhuni (15 points). Despite low success in three-pointers (3/21), Monaco managed to hold off their opponents towards the end of the third quarter. With 35 defensive rebounds, Monaco dominated under the basket to prevail over Gravelines.
Nanterre secured a comfortable victory over the bottom-placed Le Portel (0 victories) with a score of 59-90. Donta Scott’s 21 points (5/6 in three-pointers) led his team to a 17th win this season. On the opposing side, the trio of Christopher Ebunangombe (16 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds), Gregory Lee (14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), and Lucas Fischer (12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) tried to respond, but Nanterre already had a 19-point lead at halftime. Nanterre continued to widen the gap in the second half. Their upcoming match against Saint-Quentin (15th) should pave the way for a third consecutive victory.
For Strasbourg, hosting Cholet was not an easy task. After four consecutive losses (across all competitions), the team needed to secure its fourth place. Marcus Keene (21 points) and Mike Davis Jr (17 points) carried SIG in the second and third quarters, taking advantage of Cholet’s poor shooting. Despite Nathan De Sousa’s injury, Cholet almost caught up in the final quarter (86-84). Noah Locke (17 points, 5/9 in three-pointers) almost pulled off a comeback, but a shot by Louis Labeyrie (8 points, 12 rebounds) ended the suspense. In other matches this Saturday, Chalon defeated Saint-Quentin (65-86) and remains in 9th place, still in the running for the play-in. Le Mans prevailed over Boulazac (108-94) despite the 59 points from the Robineau-Warner duo.
