A solid defense and dominance in rebounding allowed the Cavigal Nice Basket 06 women’s basketball team to claim the leader Lyon’s scalp (63-51) this Saturday evening at the Leyrit hall for the 28th day of Ligue 2. A victory that boosts confidence ahead of the Final Four in a month.
This 28th day of the Ligue 2 French Championship was expected for Nice and Lyon as a gala match. Hervé Dubuisson, a legend of French basketball, gave the opening. For the occasion, the Lyonnaises sported, not the traditional “short-jersey” outfit, but a more feminine ensemble: a dress similar to those worn by current tennis players. There was hardly any stake since the Rhodanians were already assured of finishing first in the regular season standings. As for the Azuréennes, they were sure to be among the four teams qualified for the semifinals on May 21 in Lyon. However, this match had the flavor of a potential final between the best attack (Nice) and the best defense of the championship this season (Lyon).
Physicality, defense, and a bench
And it’s all the more promising for the future that the start of the match is ultra-defensive. And in this game, the advantage goes to Olga Tarasenko’s players. It must be said that the Cavigal knows how to showcase its assets: tall and physical players inside, like Jeanne Senghor-Sy who, for a change, registered a double-double (12 pts, 10 rbds). They also have an argument that their evening’s opponents seemingly do not: a competitive bench. Majda Ghariani and Guiday Mendy notably showcased all their talent by scoring 11 and 14 points respectively. “It was a good test for us,” confirms Cavigal’s coach, Olga Tarasenko. “In defense, we managed to foil the Lyonnaises.” That’s the least that can be said since they only scored 28 points in two quarters, and the Niçoises held their opponents at bay with a +5 gap at halftime (33-28).
It should be noted that in this first half of the game, Lyon seemed to be struck by a terrible affliction (this is the only possible explanation) in the free-throw sector with an improbable 3 out of 12. The second half showed the Niçoise’s superiority in almost every compartment of the game. They increased their lead, reaching a +20 in the third quarter. In the end, CNB06 won 63 to 51 quite logically against the Lyonnaises, who were well below their usual level. It’s even hard to believe that the Rhodanians could finish so high in the rankings, so much did they stick to a single rigid attack scheme. Yet, they are effective when they are accurate.
“Valuable insights for the future…”
But this was clearly not the case in this meeting. “It’s obvious that when you play a game as disastrous in terms of shooting accuracy (editor’s note: 33% in shots), you can’t be surprised to take a beating,” admits Pierre Bressant, the Lyon coach. “Now, let’s not look for excuses, we were up against the best team of the moment. And this will give us valuable insights for the rest of the competition.” Crafty Lyonnaises…
If Lyon could gauge the available forces tonight, Nice is gaining confidence by chaining an eighth consecutive victory in the championship. The Azuréennes players even treated us to a little choreography at the center of the field to music from the group Magic System to celebrate their victory and their last home game of the season. Confidence is always good to take, especially before a decisive trip to Reims to determine the final place in the standings, and thus know who the Niçoises will face in the semifinals.
Nicolas Mison
