Élan Béarnais Coupe de France win over Antibes Sharks, Digi Mart USA News: Defeated 106-97 in overtime at Le Mans on Saturday, Pau’s players came home with a half-smile after securing the essentials against the Sharks, a second-tier Élite 2 side, on Tuesday, winning 93-87. They suffered but will play a round-of-16 match.
Élan Béarnais travelled more than a thousand kilometres over three days and, on the floor of the Élite 2 runner-up, largely put the Le Mans defeat behind them. Antibes, transformed over the summer, was ultimately and consistently brought back to reality by the Betclic Élite newcomers, who were logically qualified for the round of 16 of the Coupe de France.
The hosts started with a seven-point lead. Élan Béarnais, using a “mixed five” as coach Mickaël Hay had suggested after the Le Mans defeat, saw Bastien Pinault and Jayvon Maughmer enter the starting lineup alongside Milanese, Briggs and Mballa.
The choice paid off, as the group erased its deficit within four minutes thanks to a three-point basket from the American small forward (10-11, 4th quarter).
Against a Sharks side transformed over the summer and currently second in Élite 2, the risk of a sudden, lopsided deficit was clear. While falling into that trap, Élan lost point guard Thomas Cornely to an ankle injury that forced him off the floor.
A cold spell reheated Antibes, helped by five minutes of apathy and Pau errors, before a buzzer-beating shot from Baptiste Tchouaffé.
Élan began the second quarter aware it had to rebuild (29-21, 10th minute). It did so after four minutes and an open shot from Gide Noël (35-35, 14th minute).
Pinault then answered with a two-pointer (35-37, 15th minute). Back on track, Pau’s players were intense enough, notably young Nathan Assira-Engoute, to maintain their lead until halftime (46-50, 20th minute).
They pushed the advantage to ten points after a strong return from the locker room (Mballa, composed at the free-throw line, 50-60, 14th minute). Michael Flowers, who scored 20 points at Le Mans on Saturday, returned to form, and was a key contributor to Pau’s surge in the third quarter, alongside the consistently strong Fabio Milanese.
A near-fatal blow for the Sharks came from a buzzer-beating shot by specialist Bastien Pinault (64-83).
Touched but not sunk. Following a 14-4 run in under four minutes, Antibes, with captain Tchouaffé leading the charge, pulled back within ten points (78-87, 35th minute), a reminder of the inconsistency Pau has shown in the league.
This is perhaps also the flip side of one of the aims of this third round of the Coupe de France in Provence: sharing playing time. A timeout was necessary with 2 minutes 30 seconds left, when Élan led by only four points.
Suffering under the roused hostility of the Azur Arena, the Milanese-Flowers-Maughmer-Mballa-Briggs lineup gradually held on to win (87-93).
A victory like a breath of fresh air. After a long trip begun at the end of last week to Le Mans, Pau’s players returned to Béarn with a ticket to the round of 16 and, almost certainly, the trip to ASVEL on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
on their minds.
