Dhe winning shots with fouls, Tray Buchanan had a bunch of them last year with Stade Rochelais Basket. The 2023-2024 Pro B MVP, to whom the orange of Le Mans Sarthe Basket suits, shattered the slim hope that remained for his ex-teammates, Saturday December 21, 60 seconds from the last buzzer. Three points, foul by Mathéo Leray, technical foul as a bonus, 5-point action to move to 81-68 (81-71, final score). Or a new defeat for the Maritimes, courageous but powerless, deprived of Sessoms and Niziol, injured.
The first quarter goes like a dream, lasting at least 9 minutes. We can't help but, as impatient as a child on December 22, give you Mathéo Leray's stats line over the period: 5 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 interceptions, 12 rating! With four Pro B champions in the major five, La Rochelle defends excellently, finds a lot of quick play and leads 23-7. The final 6-0 in Sarthe revives the MSB (13-23, 10th), which passes a… 28-7 in the Maritimes.
5/6, vicious circle
It's behind the arc that it happens: Le Mans, which had started with a success on eight attempts, started the second in the second quarter with a painful 5/6. The circle is vicious, they return their shots, the Stadium has its legs cut off and cannot find a solution on half court. The ends of possession are hard, the turnovers accumulate (9 at the break) and when it is not 3 points, therefore, as with Buchanan (2/2), Noah Penda and TaShawn Thomas are miserable in the paint, thrown with full ball.
The best team in the championship for offensive rebounds, the Manceaux only captured one in the first half; Trevor Hudgins is at almost 17 points, he scored 3. Good points which are not enough, but at minus 10 (42-32), after all, anything is possible. The defenses have taken over, there is clumsiness, haste on both sides. We left for a small score, how could it be otherwise since La Rochelle leads the quarter 7-4 after 6 minutes… (46-39, 26th). The gap is stabilizing, that’s already it.
Despite Joshiko Saibou going through (0/6, 3 bp) and Hudgins coming out of his box, La Rochelle remained alive at the half-hour mark (58-47, 30th). The problem is that if the gap doesn't get bigger (too much), it doesn't get smaller either. Ryan Hawkins, whose days in yellow and black are numbered, misses the potential -6 (63-54, 33rd) and two minutes later we start again at -15. The Stade hangs on and approaches, never completely losing the thread, coming back to 8 points (76-68) at 1'58''. But finishing behind.
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