The Niss’Angels easily dominate Reims 67-52 and strengthen their position as leaders. Leading throughout the match, the Niçoises had a few scares but ultimately showcased their collective strength.
Having been exempt last week and beaten in Vendée for the first day after the holidays, the Niçoises were making their 2015 debut on their home court. Facing them was Reims, a mid-table opponent that had caused problems in the first leg (Nice’s victory 61-59). Sitting atop the Ligue Féminine 2 (the second national level), Rachid Méziane’s team had only one goal: victory.
The match started completely in the favor of the Niçoises, who created a gap propelled by the outstanding Astan Dabo, scoring 8 points in three minutes (13-4, 3rd). However, a 4-minute slump from Cavi’ allowed Reims to catch up, led by the talented Anais Jomby (18-17, 9th). The starting five performed well for Nice, but the bench did not deliver satisfaction.
Similar scenario in the second quarter with a perfect start from the Niçoises who pulled away (26-20, 14th). The young playmaker, Marie-Eve Paget, was the catalyst for Cavigal’s game. Her long-distance shot allowed her team to widen the score (38-25, 18th). Reims couldn’t find solutions and was stuck at eleven points in this 2nd quarter. The Niss’Angels went into the locker room with an 11-point cushion: 39-28.
Cavigal created the largest gap of the match immediately upon resumption thanks to the activity of the American Shenita Landry and still Dabo (45-28, 22nd). This was the moment when the Reims team reacted with an incredible accuracy from beyond the 3-point line (50-42, 28th). Alice Nayo and Margot Vidal-Geneve also made their long-distance shots to maintain a 9-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
Feeling shaky, the young Cavigal group saw Reims close in right at the start of the 4th quarter (53-48, 32nd). It took a basket plus a foul from Maimouna Ba to give the Niçoises some breathing room. Reims stopped scoring, committed fouls, and missed their chance. The technical foul called on Reims sealed their fate. Nice, leading the match for the entire 40 minutes, deserved their victory and retained their top spot in Ligue 2.
