Quarterfinals
Two series concluded on Monday with one going as expected with Landes increasing their cushion immediately against Lyon’s four senior pros and a raft of youth team players, cruising 79-60 to advance 168-127 and get ready for Saturday’s cup final. Their opponent for that game Bourges made no headway on their deficit early and Carla Leite and Tarbes actually extended that margin by halftime. Kayla Alexander and hosts did roar back in the second half, but fell short late with a 98-83 margin eliminating them 170-167. They will now need to go all out for the cup to realize their continental ambitions next season as they have to worry that the one of the lower remaining seeds could pull off two upsets.
The other side of the bracket concluded play on Wednesday. It looked like Elodie Naigre and Lattes Montpellier would advance without much fuss after a quiet first half where they expanded their lead. Monique Akoa and Charnay suddenly sprung to life in the second half to take the lead for the game, threatening to flip the aggregate back in their favor at the end, but a 75-64 win was only enough to lose 141-137 overall. It was the opposite story for top seed Villeneuve-d’Ascq as their lead shrunk early, but Kennedy Burke finished her tenure by helping them win 100-91 against Julie Wojta and Angers. The team will now have to navigate the semifinals without their star, having advanced 182-164, and try to win a championship with an untested final lineup.
April 22
https://basketlfb.com/match/777322-basket-landes-lyon
Landes [79]: Peterson 18/6a Fuehring 13 Bussiere 10/6r Geiselsoder 8/6r Salvadores 6
Lyon [60]: Mitchell 16 Chery 14 Miyem 8 Heal 8
Landes advances 168-127
https://basketlfb.com/match/777323-bourges-tarbes
Bourges [98]: Alexander 24/12r Duchet 19 Colley 13 Nacickaite 12 Astier 12 Steinberga 9/9r Spanou 6 Mann 1
Tarbes [83]: Leite 26 Foppossi 18/6r Malonga 16/7r
Tarbes advances 170-167
April 23
https://basketlfb.com/match/777324-lattes-montpellier-charnay
Lattes Montpellier [64]: Naigre 26/9r Alston 15 Jenkins 5
Charnay [75]: Akoa 22/6a Thomas 16 Djaldi-Tabdi 12/6r Balayera 12 Traylor 5 Vilka 4 Abdi 2 Muzet 0
Lattes Montpellier advances 141-137
https://basketlfb.com/match/777325-villeneuve-d-ascq-angers
Villeneuve-d’Ascq [100]: Burke 20 Smalls 17 Salaun 16/10r/6a Diaby 15/9r Zellous 13 Mununga 4
Angers [91]: Wojta 23/9r Bailey 15 Lacan 15
Villeneuve-d’Ascq advances 182-164
Playdowns
The battle to stay in the top division continued on Tuesday. Charleville-Mezieres, which figured to have the easiest path to safety, looked in danger of getting sucked into the battle again, but Sara Chevaugeon helped them win 77-72 over Tiffany Clarke and Roche. Amy Okonkwo returned for Landerneau and paced them in a 71-59 victory over Saint-Amand, leaving a three-way tie between the remaining teams two points behind the leaders.
https://basketlfb.com/match/777328-charleville-mezieres-roche-vendee
Charleville-Mezieres [77]: Chevaugeon 22 Walker 18/10r Studer 14
Roche [72]: Clarke 23 Suarez 14/11a Adams 11/11r
https://basketlfb.com/match/777329-saint-amand-landerneau
Saint-Amand [59]: Church 12 Lewis 11 Slonjsak 10/7r Grays 8 Williams 5
Landerneau [71]: Okonkwo 21/10r Akhator 16/9r Woolfolk 12/6r Trasi 6 Barahman 3
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