AS Monaco Basketball missed the start of their Euroleague campaign against the Lithuanians of Zalgiris Kaunas (84-89). The Monegasques were trailing throughout the match.
The Monegasques hosted the Lithuanians of Zalgiris Kaunas tonight at the Gaston Mรฉdecin arena. It was the first fixture to kick off the new Euroleague season. After their victory, on Sunday afternoon against Le Portel, the Roca Team began their campaign with optimal confidence.
Vassilis Spanoulis’s men struggled to get into their match. Once again, as against Portel this weekend, the players from the Rock struggled to dictate the pace in the early minutes. However, the level of tonight’s opponent was higher than Sunday’s, as reflected in the score.
The Monegasques were trailing at the end of the first quarter (20-27). This high number of points, compared to the average, illustrates the defensive difficulties of Mike James’s teammates. The Lithuanians finished these first ten minutes with a shooting success rate nearing 70%. They were four out of five from three-point range.
A better but insufficient second quarterย
Defensive problems that the Roca Team’s players gradually began to erase. In the first four minutes of this second quarter, the Monegasque defense was tougher, which was evident on the scoreboard. The French vice-champions conceded only five little points.
Unfortunately, Monaco’s old defensive demons resurfaced. The players from the Rock once again endured the Lithuanian attacks. This was compounded by difficulties in offensive play. Mike James scored the only three-pointer for Monaco in this first half, out of eight attempts. Zalgiris Kaunas won this second quarter and went into halftime with a ten-point lead (35-45).
On the Lithuanian side, Frenchman Sylvain Francisco was on fire. He scored nine points, grabbed a rebound, and delivered four assists. Vassilis Spanoulis’s men had to find a solution in the second half to defend against the French point guard and show a completely different side.
A late awakening in the third quarterย
Returning from the locker room, the Gaston Mรฉdecin arena hoped for an immediate awakening from its team. This was not the case! The Roca Team couldn’t find the key to truly challenge this Lithuanian team. The players from Zalgiris Kaunas took advantage of Monaco’s doubts. They extended their lead by over fourteen points during this third quarter.
Fortunately, the team from the Rock is full of talent. While Mike James kept the Roca Team alive in the match, it was Elie Okobo and Daniel Theis who took over approaching the final quarter. The French shooting guard scored only the third three-pointer for Monaco in the match. The German made the fourth on one of the following offenses. A sequence that allowed AS Monaco Basketball to come within seven points of their opponent for the evening (60-67).
Mike James keeps hope alive at the end of the matchย
The beginning of the final quarter mirrored the match, with the Monegasques in great difficulty. The Lithuanians put together a run of eight consecutive points. The Roca Team allowed too much space for three-point shots, and they were punished for it tonight, conceding 12 of the 25 attempted shots from beyond the arc. The Lithuanians once again widened the gap in this match, with a 15-point lead that seemed to extinguish any suspense.
However, Mike James had other plans, determined to keep the hope of winning this match alive with a completely frantic finish. The American point guard’s 21 points in this match allowed the Roca Team to come within four points, 50 seconds from the end.
Unfortunately for Vassilis Spanoulis’s men, it was not enough, and AS Monaco Basketball was defeated on their home court 84 to 89. The Monegasques need to quickly regroup because they will host Dubai this Friday for the second day’s action. They will then face Chalon-sur-Saรดne this Sunday, in the Betclic Elite .
