The Niss’Angels hosted Perpignan, a first-division team, for the Round of 32 of the French Basketball Cup. Rachid Méziane’s girls have no reason to be ashamed as they held their own against the Catalans for almost three quarters, but eventually had to concede defeat 64 to 58.
What a great challenge for Cavigal! Eager to return to the first division, Rachid Méziane’s girls got a taste of the LFB last night with the visit of Perpignan. The Catalans were the favorites, but the Niçoises managed to compete for a good part of the match.
No team seemed to take a serious advantage in this first quarter. After 6 minutes of play, the score was just 11 to 10 for the visitors. The game remained very scrappy between the two teams. But it was indeed the Perpignan players who finished stronger with a 7-point advantage (19-12). Rachid Méziane’s girls were smothered by the Catalan defensive pressure and made too many mistakes.
However, François Gomez’s players then became the victims of an unusual lack of realism in their shots. It didn’t take more for Fabienne Constant, a symbol of the thunderous comeback of the Niss’Angels in this match. The Azures regained the advantage in a conquered Salle Leyrit (22-21). The Catalans faltered and suffered in the key area. Imagine, Fatou Dieng’s teammates managed only 2 points in 7 minutes of play compared to 10 for their opponents of the evening. But a surge of pride from the current third in the LFB allowed them to maintain a 3-point lead at halftime (29-32).
At the restart, the two teams quickly found themselves tied again (34-34). But the player of the match, Héléna Ciak, scored 9 points to give Perpignan some breathing room. As they entered the last quarter, the Catalans led 49 to 44. Salle Leyrit urged on their protégées. The atmosphere intensified on the missed shots of the Catalans. This gave new life to the Niçoises, who quickly closed the gap to 1 point and took the lead thanks to two 3-pointers by Okou Zouzouo and Galliou-Loko.
But beware for Cavigal, 6’30″ remained to be played. A poorly managed period by Jeanne Senghor-Sy and her cohorts. The timeout requested by the Perpignan coach made an impact on his players, who regained the advantage a few minutes from the end. Héléna Ciak, Diandra Tchatchouang, and Iva Ciglar tipped the scales. With a 5-point lead 1 minute from the end of the game, it seemed all over. A final missed 3-pointer by Élodie Decker and the Catalans left the Côte d’Azur with their ticket to the Round of 16 of the French Cup.
The Nice players needn’t be ashamed of their performance. With a bit more success in shooting, it was highly probable that their adventure in the French Cup could have continued. Now onto the Championship with the reception next Saturday of Graffenstaden, 8th in the second division, to consolidate their leadership position.
