The Manceaux have long felt the hot breath of the Stambouliotes of Galatasaray on their necks, this Wednesday January 21, 2026, but they ended up managing to definitively escape their hosts (83-90) during the first day of the top 16 of the Basketball Champions League (BCL).
On the court of the reigning finalist of the event – in a room of the Istanbul Basketball Development Center almost empty, the local supporters having preferred to head towards RAMS Park where the football section of the Turkish club welcomed Atlético de Madrid for the 7e day of C1 at the same time -, the MSB signed a solid success which could prove extremely valuable at the end of this second group phase of the competition, the first two of which will reach the quarter-finals.
The MSB defied the predictions
This success against a team with much greater means, favorite of group I, was not expected, that’s for sure
recognized the assistant coach of the Sarthe club, Antoine Mathieu, after the game, but his players went for this major performance despite the numerous absences to deplore.
If the technician, supported by KJ Smith during the meeting, appeared in front of the press at the end of the opposition, it was because Guillaume Vizade, the head coach, had remained at Le Mans to wait for a happy event which should keep him away from the bench until after the next European event of the MSB, a trip to Bulgaria to meet Hapoel Holon, Tuesday January 27. The Puydomois was thus added at the kick-off to the long list of missing pieces to a Le Mans team deprived of almost a third of its professional workforce. Wilfried Yeguete (ankle), Ugo Doumbia (knee) and Jonathan Jeanne (pubalgia), all injured, are also not available.
I think it’s a team victory
underlined Antoine Mathieu, while six of his men finished with at least ten points scored (Grasshoff, Williams, Bogues, Berhanemeskel, Hudgins and Thomas). We knew the players opposite. McCollum, James Palmes, all these guys are normally superior but our mindset this season makes us capable of winning these matches.
Leading by 14 lengths at half-time (43-57, 20′) after having an advantage of up to 20 points (33-53, 18′), the Sarthois managed in the second half to keep control of a game whose dynamics seemed to have shifted. Coming back to just seven points at the end of the third quarter (63-70, 28′ then 66-73, 29′), the Turks never managed to get any closer. Except in the very last moments (83-88, 40′), but it was already too late for the teammates of Errick McCollum (21 points) and Fabian White (22 points), largely dominant on the rebound (17 offensive shots against 4) but too clumsy in isolation to extricate themselves from the visitors’ defense, who went to the free throw line to get the few points they needed to finish.
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With the staff, we said to ourselves that we had to prevent them from scoring above all because it was complicated on the other side of the field
underlined Antoine Mathieu. On a mis Lucas (Duféal) et TaShawn (Thomas) together to have more size, verticality in order to try to protect our basket a little more. I think that in the end, we made some stops that made the difference. The pace we set throughout the match may have also tired them a little.
The first bricks of this victory had previously been laid at an impressive start to the Le Mans match. Irresistible offensively in the first twenty minutes, the Tango returned to the locker room at 20/28 shooting including 6/7 from three points.
Make way for Betclic Élite now: the MSB hosts Lyon Villeurbanne from this Sunday, January 25 (7:10 p.m.) on behalf of the 17e daytime.
