Trailing throughout the match (average gap of 10 points), the Sharks made a comeback in the last four minutes only to be defeated 74-71 on Nanterre’s court. Will Solomon had the winning shot, but to no avail. This marks the second consecutive loss for the Azurรฉens before they host Nancy and then Limoges.
“It would have been a hold-up.” A quote from Julien Espinosa, coach of the Sharks Antibes. For almost 40 minutes, Nanterre led the game. Antibes struggled against the activity and speed of the European champions (EuroChallenge) without finding a solution, except during the money-time. A defeat that leaves regrets for Will Solomon’s teammates.
The Azurรฉens started the match well with the activity of Blue, Dallo, and Fall, but Nanterre quickly found their aim. The Franciliens regained their renowned long-distance shooting with Mitchell and Invernizzi (16-14, 6th minute). Fouls piled up for the Sharks (Blue, Dallo, and Solomon with 2 each already), and JSF took advantage to create a 5-point gap. Five points was the gap at the end of the quarter (25-20) despite the 6 points from Tim Blue and Paul Carter.
Nanterre loves the 3-pointers
The defense, which is so dear to Julien Espinosa, was lacking, allowing Nanterre to widen the gap with their trademark: the three-pointer. Tasmin Mitchell had a field day (10 points with 3/3 from long distance), becoming the first player to reach the 10-point mark. The Sharks scored a mere 3 points in 3 minutes before the “Carter show” with 7 consecutive points (37-30, 18th minute). Brian Greene responded with two shots from beyond the arc, allowing Nanterre to lead by 13 points (43-30), the biggest gap of the game. Moustapha Fall and Boris Dallo limited the damage (43-34 at halftime).
One area where everything went well for Antibes was inside. The international pivot Mam Jaiteh didn’t score a single point until the last play of the game, thanks to the efforts of Tim Blue, Moustapha Fall, and Akil Mitchell. In the middle of the 3rd quarter, Antibes thought they had found the key to unpick the Nanterre lock (53-46, 26th minute), but Campbell and Greene struck to bring the Palais des Sports to its feet (57-46, 28th minute). With ten minutes remaining, Julien Espinosa’s men stayed within reach (62-50).
-13 then enlightenment
And as everything has been challenging since the opening minutes, the Sharks scored not a single point for three minutes. Akil Mitchell came off the bench to make an impact (6 points in 3 minutes), but the gap remained unchanged (64-54, 34th minute). Worse, it increased to four minutes before the end (69-56, 36th minute). At that moment, the Antibois found renewed aggression on both ends of the court. A mid-range shot from Dallo and the unyielding Blue-Solomon duo with 3-pointers gave a glimmer of hope to the dozen Azurรฉens supporters (69-60, 38th minute, then 71-66, 39th minute). In the last minute, Carter was fouled and successfully made three free throws, bringing it to 72-71 with less than 30 seconds left. Campbell made one of two free throws, and Will Solomon had the ball for the game, but missed his long shot. No Havre repeat…
A tough schedule
This Saturday night, Antibes stands at 7th place with 5 wins and 4 losses and faces a “European” schedule with two consecutive home games. Starting Friday, Nancy, struggling (1 win in 8 games), arrives at the AAA, followed by Limoges on Saturday, December 5th. It won’t be easy, but Julien Espinosa’s men demonstrate they are “learning” as the coach often repeats.
