Basketball: Roca Team qualifies for Leaders Cup final

Roca Team easily won 115-83 against Cholet. A match that Vassilis Spanoulis’ men led from start to finish.

Roca Team did not fall into the Cholet trap! Unlike ASVEL yesterday afternoon, the Monégasques won against Cholet, with a score of 115-83. The players from the Rock never wavered in this match and qualified for the Leaders Cup final. They will be able to win this competition for the fourth time in their history.

AS Monaco Basket faces Cholet in this first semi-final of the Leaders Cup. A match being played at the Arena Futuroscope in Poitiers. After narrowly losing to Strasbourg 24 hours earlier, Roca Team wants to secure their ticket to the final. Facing them, the Cholet players managed to pull off the feat of eliminating ASVEL, and are hoping to repeat the feat this Saturday.

A brilliant start from Roca Team

After four short minutes of warm-up (trailing 6-11), Roca Team takes control of the game and wants to dominate their match from start to finish. Unlike the match against Strasbourg, the players from the Rock are serious and committed. Mike James scores 10 points in this first quarter, more than in his entire quarter-final match (nine points).

On defense, the men in white in this match, are impenetrable and force the Cholet players to take difficult shots. Elie Okobo’s teammates logically lead after ten minutes of play (31-20).

Roca Team rolls on

At the same pace as in the first quarter, the Monégasques are largely dominant. They are, as in the first ten minutes, above 70% shooting accuracy. Thanks to their aggressiveness, they forced six Cholet turnovers. Fabrice Lefrançois’ men are overwhelmed by the pressure from Mike James’ teammates.

Monaco varies its attacks between the paint and beyond the three-point line. Everything seems to be working for the Monégasques who want to put the matter to rest as quickly as possible. Unsurprisingly, the Principality players extended their lead as they headed to the locker room (64-42).

Roca Team managing despite a dip in form

AS Monaco Basket enters a slight rough patch at the start of the second half. The Monégasques are less accurate with their shots (only 53% shooting). As often this season, they are badly outmatched on the boards, with only six rebounds compared to 11 for Cholet.

Vassilis Spanoulis’ men are undisciplined in this third quarter. A combination of problems allowing the Cholet players to come back slightly into the game (80-67). However, Monaco can rely on its high-quality individual players to respect the logic. The players from the Rock start the final quarter with a 19-point lead (88-69).

Heading to the final for Roca Team

In this fourth quarter, the Cholet players seem resigned and Monaco seals the suspense. Vassilis Spanoulis’ men win easily 115-83. A resounding victory achieved thanks to an excellent performance from the opening moments. Note the return of Alpha Diallo, who delivered a very good match. The Guinean scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Roca Team secures their ticket to the Leaders Cup final. They will learn their opponent tonight. It will be the winner of the match between Le Mans and Bourg-en-Bresse. The final will also take place on the Arena Futuroscope court, this Sunday February 22 at 7 p.m.