The Euroleague was back at Gaston-Médecin tonight for the reception of Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The Roca Team emerged victorious at the end of a well-executed match, ultimately one-sided in its second half (102-66).
The objective on the side of the Principality tonight was to get back on track after Sunday’s defeat in the league against Bourg-en-Bresse. After a series of Euroleague away games, the last of which was won in Lyon-Villeurbanne despite an overall uninspiring performance. Tonight, Gaston-Médecin was well-packed for the reception of Anadolu Efes Istanbul. A team not particularly known for its defensive focus, with many players unavailable such as the French international Vincent Poirier.
From the first minutes, Mike James and Elie Okobo shone alongside their teammates in the starting five. It was classic with the presence of Jaron Blossomgame, Daniel Theis, and Alpha Diallo, all three dunking early in the game. The Monegasques demonstrated great strength in offensive rebounding, creating a gap (10-4). But as always, the Roca Team failed to maintain their lead as the Istanbul team caught up and passed them. Struggling in recent matches, Daniel Theis stood out in the first quarter. Just like Alpha Diallo, who was the best interceptor in the Euroleague before this 13th round. Finally, Monaco led at the end of the first quarter, thanks in part to a strong entrance by Kevarrius Hayes (25-22).
Anadolu was not far behind on the scoreboard, showcasing their offensive strength with threes in three great sequences by Isaia Cordinier, who was 100% in the shooting exercise. Matthew Strazel also made his mark, distributing the game well in the rotation. Neither team could break away. Paradoxically, Monaco defended well despite conceding 34 points in 15 minutes. With flawless free-throw performance and only six rebounds captured by the visitors, Monaco achieved its largest lead of the game just before halftime (50-43).
The Roca Team Alone in the World
Monaco proved vastly superior across all stat lines. This seemed to please Vassilis Spanoulis. His team returned to the court with a strong defensive intent while the visitors focused on rebounding. As a result, the start of the third quarter wasn’t very eventful on the scoreboard. It took two minutes for things to start moving with a strong attack to the hoop by Alpha Diallo. More aggressive, the Roca Team put the Turks into penalty trouble quickly, widening the gap by exploiting Efes’s weaknesses inside (58-46). Only Isaia Cordinier (4/4 on threes and 16 points) kept the visitors from completely falling apart. But with only ten points in the third quarter, the Istanbul team saw the score gap grow inexorably (70-53).
The gap was established. Against a team struggling offensively, Monaco rotated their line-up. This provided an opportunity to see players with limited playing time so far in the Euroleague campaign, such as Terry Tarpey, Yoan Makoundou, or David Michineau, who played his first minutes in the Euroleague. Still very active in defense, the Roca Team denied Anadolu possession and continued to increase the gap, much to the delight of their president Aleksej Fedoricsev. The Roca Team even surpassed the 100-point mark with 17 points from Daniel Theis, the highest scorer of the match.
Without a standout performance from Mike James (seven points, two rebounds, six assists), the Roca Team won (102-66) in their only match of the week due to an international break. The Principality’s men will return in exactly one week, on Wednesday, December 3, in the Coupe de France against Paris Basketball. It will be a double confrontation for the Monegasques, who will then face the Parisians again at Gaston-Médecin the next day in the Euroleague. An intense schedule ahead.
