By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Two defeats in a row in the French League were a bit too much for AS Monaco Basket. Behind a strong offensive performance, the Monegasque side beat Le Mans 91 – 80 on the road and returned to wins on a domestic level.
Elie Okobo led a balanced display for Monaco with 15 points, five assists and four steals. Jaron Blossongame had 12 points while Donatas Motiejunas finished with 11 points plus five rebounds. Monaco superstar Mike James played only for five minutes (rest) and Donta Hall was out (rest).
Matt Morgan (20 points, five rebounds), Kaza Kajami-Keane (16 points) and Tres Tinkle (12 points, five rebounds) stood out from Le Mans. The home team fell behind 26 – 44 halfway through the second period and had to play catchup ever since.
Monaco saw its 18-point lead get trimmed to 43-49 at halftime but reestablished a double-digit advantage and went up 54 – 70 in the third quarter. Le Mans made another comeback effort and approached 73 – 78 with five minutes to play and then Monaco responded with a 3-10 run and stayed safe until the final buzzer.
On Thursday (1/12), Monaco is facing ASVEL Villeurbanne in an all-French EuroLeague clash.