CThis time, they didn't give up. Four days after the rout in the championship, sanctioned by a defeat (93-53) on an “infuriating, shameful, unworthy” scale, says Leïla Lacan, Monday evening, on the eve of taking the bus back to Bourges, the rear international and its partners certainly lost again during this second game against Berruyères. But this time they stood up to the leader of the Women's League (75-61).
If they once again showed certain offensive limits with not very impressive success rates, defensively, they largely upset the Tango and showed that in the Landes, we have character. And that’s what their coach Julie Barennes was hoping for, in fact. A reaction, both individually and collectively, on the cusp of the other challenges that await the Landaises in the coming days: a quarter-final of the Coupe de France in Lyon, Saturday 18, and, above all, a championship in which to reposition themselves correctly.
Martyred, Saturday 11, by a whirlwind Astier and a sickening Okonkwo (24 points, 10 rebounds, 31 rating), the Landeses began the meeting with their feet in defense, thwarting local initiatives. So much so that they took the lead on a three-pointer from Geiselsöder (4-5, 4e) to never let go of the ramp until the end of a first quarter concluded with a small point lead (17-18). And this, thanks to the defeat of Lacan, who was keen to make up for a lackluster performance against Mersin the previous week (6 points), and Ewodo, author of 6 points in ten minutes.
Waste when shooting
But the Landeses quickly found themselves under pressure, handicapped by still a significant loss of shooting. The Tangos adjusted the sights and clearly pressed the accelerator during impacts. In three minutes, Basket Landes conceded an 8-3 which pushed Julie Barennes to take a time out. And if Ewodo and Lacan at three points allowed theirs to jump ahead in the score (25-27, 16e), the burst did not last. Only Slocum, also from afar, came to replenish the Landes nest egg, while the Berruyères threaded free throws like pearls and Pouye, diabolical in precision (13 points scored at the break) increased his team's lead to +8 at the break (38-30).
The scenario of Mersin (in contact at the break, 20 points at the end) or Bourges in the championship – where, again, Basket Landes let its opponent break away before half-time then literally fly away afterwards – seemed to again looming, implacable. Except that, this time, the Landes collective did not disintegrate, carried by a Geiselsöder in the oven and in the mill, who diverted the ball from Astier (23e), then kept the gap within reasonable proportions (43-34, 24e), before literally snatching the defensive rebound between three Tangos and scoring two more points (45-36, 25e).
Ewodo and verve
Like Green, unable to shoot because completely blocked by Djekoundade (27e), the Tango were unable to remove the Landes plaster and relied on free throws, and Green's vista, to preserve their control over the match. Lacan and Keffers were nibbling (49-40, 28e), imitated by Geiselsöder and Bussière at three points. The gap was reduced to 51-46 with a handful of seconds remaining in the third quarter. And if Guapo, who scored his third three points of the evening (13 points in total) on the wire, pushed them back to -8, the Landeses were once again in the game at the start of the last act.
Especially since Ewodo continued his harvest, both near and far (16 points this Wednesday evening). However, the residents of François-Mitterrand lacked the push of the kidneys, or the wrist, necessary to make a real push and reverse the trend. So much so that Bourges, although contested, did not really tremble, and was moving towards a sixth success, not yet synonymous with qualification for the Final Six in April, but close to it. The score increased slowly in the last minutes, to -16. Anecdotal in view of the challenges that await the Landaises from Saturday in Lyon in the quarter-final of the Coupe de France, and the desire to take the step to return to Bercy for the fourth consecutive year.
However, everything is not over for the Landes in the Euroleague. With the defeat of Salamanca in Mersin (79-62), Basket Landes retains (small) chances of extending the adventure in the Euroleague. For this, it will absolutely be necessary to start by beating Brno, Wednesday January 22 in Mitterrand, and count on a little helping hand from Bourges in Salamanca to keep the rope against the Spaniards. The Berruyères owe them that…
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