Paris (AFP)
Dijon, leader of the French Basketball Championship, experienced its first defeat of the season away from its dolphin Monaco, 80 to 67, in the poster for this 25th day.
Aggressive in defense, the men of Sasa Obradovic knew how to muzzle the Dijon attacks and confirm their status as the best defense in the championship.
Dijon, winner of the last Leaders Cup, was too clumsy (18 lost balls) to hope for a result. David Holston, the leader of the JDA and MVP last season, scored just 8 points while Dijon's top scorer, French international Axel Julien, scored 11 points.
Offensively, the Roca Team, unbeaten in its Gaston Médecin room since November 2018, also responded to the image of the Bulgarian leader Dee Bost and Norris Cole, authors of 18 and 17 points respectively.
Thanks to this success, the Monegasques, who were keen to take their revenge after their setback in the semi-final of the Leaders Cup against the JDA (83-81), therefore took the lead in the ranking (21 wins and 3 losses).
A satisfaction for the back Yakuba Ouattara: "We were looking forward to this match. Defense was the key to this meeting."
With this defeat, Laurent Legname's men put an end to a series of thirteen consecutive championship victories.
The match was not played behind closed doors, the National Basketball League (LNB) having limited to 4,700, the number of spectators being able to attend a match.
Asvel, third in the championship, will receive Le Mans at the Astroballe on Sunday (6:00 p.m.) and will have the opportunity to return to the top of the classification.
© 2020 AFP