ESSM Le Portel defeat Parma at the Chaudron to qualify for the Regular Season
LE PORTEL (FIBA Europe Cup) - Cheered on by the always-ardent support at the packed Chaudron, ESSM Le Portel brushed aside Parma 74-55 in the second leg of the Qualification Round 2 tie after splitting the first one evenly on the road in Russia.
The hosts jumped out to an early double-digit lead and cruised to a 148-129 victory on aggregate to clinch a place in the FIBA Europe Cup Regular Season.
#FIBAEuropeCup : L'@ESSMbasket rentre dans l'histoire et se qualifie pour la @FIBAEuropeCup en battant Perma sur le score de 74 à 55 ! 🔥🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/WpRZdap9E9
— ESSM Le Portel (@ESSMbasket) October 10, 2017
Turning Point: Trae Golden collected 8 points in the opening quarter to set the tone for the rest of the game, helping Le Portel establish a 23-14 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. The gap between the teams continued to grow, with Parma's offense packing no punch.
Stats Don't Lie: The Eric Girard-coached hosts scored 74 points in both legs, but it was defensively that they made the massive improvement from last week. Le Portel kept their opponents in check throughout the contest, allowing no more than 15 points in each of the four quarters.
Le clapping de la victoire ! #FIBAEuropeCup pic.twitter.com/k5p0H0TTao
— ESSM Le Portel (@ESSMbasket) October 10, 2017
Game Hero: Le Portel's path to the Regular Season was paved in gold, as team leader Trae Golden needed just 19 minutes to get the task done, collecting 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in limited playing time.
Bottom Line: Having qualified for the Regular Season of the FIBA Europe Cup, the French side will join Group A, which already features the Telenet Giants Antwerp, Donar Groningen and Bosna. While theoretically not eliminated, Parma will be hard-pushed to grab one of the three lucky loser tickets after the 19-point defeat.
They Said: "I want to congratulate all the fans who were here tonight. We have wonderful fans and this helps the team, especially in the historic moments. We are honored to share those moments with them. I also want to thank all the players who contributed to qualifying for the FIBA Europe Cup. I'm also thinking about the players who are gone from last year's team. They contributed too." - Le Portel head coach Eric Girard.
FIBA
