SAMOKOV (Bulgaria) - Since day one in Bulgaria, if there was one team which stood out, it was Elan Chalon. Their team chemistry, balanced performances on the floor and unreal energy were rewarded on Wednesday, as they defeated a former two-time bronze medalist UCAM Murcia.
The French team displayed great team effort and won 96-88 to book a spot in the BCL Regular Season eight years after their only appearance in the league.
Turning point
The two teams went at halftime with Chalon leading 49-47, promising a hard-fought battle in the third and fourth periods as well.
Instead, the French side never looked back, going up by 13 points (66-53) following an 8-0 run midway through the third quarter.
Player of the Game
Lionel Gaudoux has always been a pretty solid rotation player over his previous three seasons at Elan Chalon. From now on, he's a club legend.
The big guy propelled his team with a monster stat line: 23 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals, getting an efficiency rating of 40.
We also warned you about Jeremiah Hill's leadership. Cameroon's playmaker led the French side back to the BCL Regular Season with 22 points over 8-of-13 from two-point range. That one-two punch knocked Murcia out.
Honorable mention: Zac Cuthbertson with 11 points on 2-of-2 shooting from deep, both triples coming like daggers.
Stats don't lie
3:55 minutes: that's how much Murcia led in this decisive game. Definitely not enough to compete in Samokov.
Despite 11 lead changes, it never looked like Sito Alonso's team could escape with the win. Moreover, Chalon outscored their opponents 24-14 in second-chance points, making the best out of every possession.
Bottom line
Chalon will now participate in the 2025-26 BCL Regular Season, entering the competition alongside newcomers ALBA BERLIN and Sabah BC, and ERA Nymburk in Group B.
While this loss might be very hard to digest for Murcia, make sure to follow them in the FIBA Europe Cup, where they can already be considered one of the heavy favorites to lift the trophy in spring.