After two warm-up matches against Montenegro and Great Britain, the Blues spent a course in their preparation with a hostile land match, in Badalone, against the historic Spanish enemy. This time, Ricky Rubio is in the stands and La Roja had to bow to France, for the first time since 2014 (75-67).
A first quarter that ends well
In search of landmarks on both sides, the defenses take precedence over the attacks at the start of the match. You have to wait 2 minutes 30 to see the first basket in the match, scored by Matthew Strazel from a distance. Opposite, the Roja also strikes with Willy Hernangomez who is played by Vincent Poirier and him Dunke on the truffle! Other than that, the French defend hard and repel the ibères far from the circle. Conversely, Guerschon Yabusele (12 points) stands out in power to go for lack after fault (even if there is waste still on throws).
After Strazel who has set the tone, it was Sylvain Francisco who in turn brings a beautiful spark to the leader. Its entry decanses well the tricolor offensive game, serving Jaylen Hoard (13 points), then TLC for two easy baskets under the circle. The Maccabi winger even comes to conclude a very nice end of first quarter on a 3-point in the area, giving +11 to the Blues (25-14), who took the upper time (13 to 5).
Sylvain Francisco in control
If Zaccharie Risacher (12 points) gives itself interesting opportunities on the fast game, the start of the 2nd quarter is less good in attack. Remove from the bench, Santi Yusta takes the relay of the Barça shooter, Dario Brizuela, and the locals reduce the distance to the display board. The game is more chopped, we squeeze the defenses but the Blues keep the course, with Alex Sarr at the tap to restore +10.
Francisco resumes his site and ideally serves Okobo who hits the arc, but, like a Vincent Poirier who is still looking for himself and lacks a basket all cooked under the circle, the Blues are not yet the gap, while Josep Puerto also replied at 3-point. In any event, the rotations of Coach Faishoux have been reduced quite clearly to this match, with Mam Jaiteh, Nadir Hifi and Théo Maledon who remain taped on the bench (43-35).
Willy resistance
Maledon and Hifi are precisely in the five which takes up the action on the return from the locker room, and the Parisian rear is illustrated without delay with a complete imbalance shot, at the end of possession. Mam Jaiteh soon joins them on the Catalan boards, but it coincides with a 9-3 of the Spaniards concluded by the Dunk of Sergio de Larrea.
Faishoux stops the game with a reduced gap at -4 and puts his team back in the right direction, namely a 6-0 thanks to a Risacher dunk followed by a new interception of Hifi that he concludes. Willy Hernangomez’s work of Sape, who arrives at the fifteen points, best scorer of the match, allows his family to limit the breakage before the last quarter (58-52).
A well -controlled end of the match
If it is not you, it is your brother … And in fact, Juancho Hernangomez stands out with 5 consecutive points while the Blues, risking in mind, rush a little too offensively. Maledon and Hoard finds the same wavelength at Alley Oop. The future Madrid finds its bearings and finds its teammates to restore air to the Blues. Risacher wins in the background for the basket plus the fault, but the reds remain in ambush.
A final boost placed by Risacher, Hoard and Hifi definitively bends the match in favor of the Blues of Fakehoux who will no longer be joined (75-67). The way has not always been there in attack, but the defensive application was encouraging for this French team which is still experiencing its workforce. A really not easy task with good performances from all over the back lines …
Revenge Saturday at the Assurarena de Paris Bercy.