By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Round of 16 of the French Cup or Coupe de France displayed one-way traffic at Salle Gaston Medecin Wednesday.
AS Monaco never trailed and blew out Metropolitans 92, 107-76.
The generational talent in Victor Wembanyama struggled to get things going but nevertheless ended up with a double-double. With 4/10 shots, he produced 13 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds. Tremendous reach helped put up five blocks to go with two assists and one steal, but fell way behind in the battle for a spot in the Quarterfinals. Seven turnovers in 25 minutes added to the rough evening.
Setting the pace with ten quick points, Mike James went on for a game-high 18 points with La Roca Team dominating from start to finish. The explosive scorer made 4/5 field goals, including 3/3 from beyond the arc. Both Jordan Loyd and Donta Hall were sidelined for the team coached by Sasa Obradovic.
Villeurbanne holds on, Lacombe and Ayayi erupt
It was close in crunch time but LDLC ASVEL Lyon Villeurbanne moved on by eliminating Roanne.
T.J. Parker’s side survived Stefan Moody to claim the win, 89-88, in Astroballe.
Moody, 29, went for 30 points, a new personal best for the 2022-23 season. Adding eight assists, seven rebounds, and two steals was not enough for the visitors to come all the way back from an 18-point deficit.
At the winning end, Jonah Mathews had 15 points, while Nando De Colo, Charles Kahudi, and Dee Bost added 13 points apiece. Youssoupha Fall posted an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double. Joffrey Lauvergne (right knee) stayed on the injury list.
Connecting all of his seven field goals, Paul Lacombe, a former player of both Monaco and ASVEL, poured a season-high 22 points driving SIG Strasbourg to the home win, 101-83, against Boulazac.
Elsewhere, Gerald Ayayi set his career-high at 28 points powering defending champion Elan Bearnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez past ESSM Le Portel, 92-83.
Round of 16
SLUC Nancy – Le Mans 78-86
Antibes Sharks – JDA Dijon 85-89 OT (77-77)
Elan Bearnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez – ESSM Le Portel 92-83
AS Monaco – Metropolitans 92 107-76
Limoges CSP – JL Bourg 79-94
SIG Strasbourg – Boulazac 101-83
LDLC ASVEL Lyon Villeurbanne – Roanne 89-88
Saint Chamond – Cholet (28/2)
The season-long Cup organized by FFBB, the French Basketball Federation, continues with the Quarterfinals and Semifinals leading to the Final to be held in Accor Arena in April.
Leaders Cup
The Leaders Cup, organized by LNB and directly entering the top eight teams of top-tier Betclic Elite, takes over for the rest of the week with Wembanyama and teammates getting another challenge against a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague team, meeting Villeurbanne Friday. The Final 8 will be held in Arena Saint-Etienne Metropole.
Quarterfinals (17/2)
JDA Dijon – Limoges CSP (1)
AS Monaco – JL Bourg (2)
Cholet – Le Mans (3)
Metropolitans 92 – LDLC ASVEL Lyon Villeurbanne (4)
Semifinals (18/2)
Winners 1-2
Winners 3-4
Final (19/2)
Winners of Semifinals
Photo Credit: Getty Images