French League 9th Round Up

A much better week in the EuroLeague with three victories which  than compensated for the three defeats suffered by French clubs in the EuroCup competition.

USVO victory against Dexia (79-55) enabled them to overcome their deficit from the first leg of 18 points and with this 24-point victory now have the advantage of Dexia in case of identical records at the end of the group phase.

Bourges end the negative series of four defeats with an important victory (74-64) against Jolly SBS. Bourges made hard work of the victory and only managed to get away during the third period. Joy at Mondeville as they their nerves in money-time to hold off the challenge of TEO Vilnius from Lithuania to win (66-64). Villeneuve had no luck in Hungary and fell (65-61) to MJB Euroleasing and are now in series danger of not passing the group stage.

All four French clubs have qualified for the sixteenth-final of the EuroCup competition before the last round of games so all that was at stake during the last round of games was the final ranking position. .
Tarbes was the only French team to win as they beat Novia Munalux (78-38). This victory also secured the group win and a fifth place ranking.

In the Eurocup series between French and Spanish club sides, French clubs led 2:1 after the first leg, however  a 3:0 reversal in the return games leave Spain leading 4:2. Gran Canaria beat Aix-en-Provence (83-61) while Baloncesto San José took down Lattes Montpellier (57-53).  Hondarribia-Irun completed the series with (78-73) against Challes-les-Eaux. This series is far from over as club sides from both countries could meet in later rounds of the competition if they pass the 1/16 round.

In the final rankings Aix-en-Provence  is the next best placed French team  21 while Lattes Montpellier and Challes-les-Eaux are in 23rd and 25th respectively.

The sixteenth-final first leg matches are scheduled for January 10, 2008. The French clubs have drawn the  following team:

Challes-Les-Eaux vs. Nadezhda
Pays Aix Basket vs. Beretta-Famila Schio
Lattes Montpellier vs. KSSSE AZS-PWSZ Gorzow
BC Zeljeznicar vs.Tarbes Gespe Bigorre

Domestically all roads led to Bourges for  El Classico. USVO have made hard work of winning matches in the league but that did not stop them from opening with a 5-0 and leading after the first period. Bourges better collectively went to work in the second period and took the lead and made the game safe by the end of the third period to take the game(76-59) with Belinda Snell, Endene Miyem and Emmeline Ndongue all scoring 16 points.

Elsewhere in the league Grace Daly, who was scoring 29 points, led Lattes Montpellier to victory against Aix-en-Provence (77-61).Mondeville off Arras (68-65). Tarbes beat  Mourenx (67-57), a defeat that leaves Mourenx languishing at the bottom of the table with only one victory all season.

Reims lost at home for the second time this season fter a third quarter collapse (48-61) to close rivals Saint Amand. Challes-les-Eaux dominated the boards against  Clermont-Ferrand but only won by 10 (78-68) while Villeneuve d’Ascq  crushed Calais (95-66).