MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) - All of our eyes will be on the LNB Pro A ahead of the first leg of the all-French FIBA Europe Cup showdown between Elan Chalon and Nanterre 92 in the Finals in just over a week's time.

The soon-to-be rivals for European glory are not only involved in a race for the top spots in the domestic championship, but are also looking to gain some momentum before their international clash.

With eight games remaining in the Regular Season, Jean-Denys Choulet's side from Chalon-sur-Saone are placed second with a 19-7 record, while Nanterre are third in the standings with an 18-8 mark.

During the weekend, both of the teams added convincing double-digit wins against opponents ranked in the lower half of the table – Chalons-Reims and JDA Dijon.

ELAN CHALON 104-86 CHALONS-REIMS
Cameron Clark carried over his top-notch form from the FIBA Europe Cup Semi-Finals against Telenet Oostende into the French championship, leading Elan Chalon to a 104-86 victory against Chalons-Reims with 32 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

After sub-par three-point shooting in their two last international games, the Chalon-sur-Saone side were on point from deep this time, going 9-of-19 from beyond the arc after converting on just 11-of-46 of their triples against their Belgian opponents in Europe.

Having made just 3-of-15 from three-point land in that stretch, John Roberson looked like his usual self once again, making 5-of-6 of his triples for a near double-double performance of 18 points and 8 assists against Chalons-Reims.

Axel Bouteille added 19 points and 7 boards, while three more players reached double-digit territory. Interestingly enough, all 104 of the team's points were scored by the six players who finished the game in double figures.

Although the final score might suggest an easy walk in the park for Elan Chalon, it wasn't until intermission that the hosts managed to break away at Le Colisee, outscoring the visitors 64-45 in the third and fourth quarters.

NANTERRE 71-55 JDA DIJON
While Elan Chalon got the job done on the offensive end, Nanterre were all about defense in their 71-55 win against DJA Dijon at home at the Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez after taking a double-digit lead in the first quarter and staying in command for the full 40 minutes.

In spite of making just 37.3% of their shots from the field themselves, coach Pascal Donnadieu's side made up for what it lacked in efficiency with share volume, sinking the visitors by making 12-of-35 attempts from three-point range.

Chris Warren, Spencer Butterfield and Hugo Invernizzi knocked down three triples each, while Heiko Schaffartzik made two. Brian Conklin also stretched the floor with one.

At the same time, Nanterre made sure Dijon also had a tough time scoring the ball on the other end of the court with imposing physical defense. The visitors finished the game with a conversion rate of 38.5% from the field, but had no long-ball option to fall back on, making just 4-of-16 from distance.

The team's primary ball-handler Warren was the key figure in the game with a team-high 17 points and 4 assists, Butterfield and Schaffartzik chipped in with 12 points apiece, while Conklin was the only other double-digit scorer on the team with 10 points.

FIBA