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In brief

Betclic Elite (finals): Roca Team misses out on title

AS-Monaco-Basket
Communication Department / Stephane Danna

AS Monaco Basket lost Game 5 of the French championship finals on Saturday night, playing away to ASVEL (84-82).

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It is a cruel scenario that will no doubt leave a bitter taste for the Roca Team. Having previously lost in the finals on three occasions (1950, 2018, 2019), the Monegasques came tantalisingly close to the title at the end of a crazy last match, despite seeming better equipped than ever to win the French championship for the first time in their history.

After a tricky start to the match and a first quarter that went totally ASVEL’s way (26-13), just like the previous match at Gaston Médecin, Alpha Diallo (12 points) and his teammates came back in the  second (17-20), third (11-20) and then in the fourth quarter (21-22), fuelled by Mike James.

At the end of extra time

In trouble until then, the American star snatched two three-pointers that allowed his team to take control of the match for the first time. But in the last moments of the game, while they were leading, Sasa Obradovic’s men saw Elijah Okobo (21 points) tie, forcing both teams into overtime.

And overtime did not smile on the Monegasques, who had a match ball two seconds from the end. But Dwayne Bacon didn’t manage to make that last possession count, losing the ball and letting the Villeurbanne team win a third consecutive French championship title.

SEE ALSO: Oleksiy Yefimov (Roca Team), proving age is no barrier to success

“There wasn’t much of a difference between the two teams, the game could have gone either way,” commented Dwayne Bacon (14 points). “It was a difficult match, which leaves us feeling disappointed. We’ll have to be better next time.”

With a French championship final and a Euroligue quarter-final, AS Monaco Basket has had a challenging and suspenseful season, which bodes well for the next one.

The series: 3-2

ASVEL/Roca Team : 74-82

ASVEL/Roca Team : 91-54

Roca Team/ASVEL : 83-80

Roca Team/ASVEL : 68-85

ASVEL/Roca Team : 84-82