Boulogne-sur-Mer secured a 65-57 victory over Le Havre in the Coupe de France, eliminating a team during the 1/32es de finale. Led by head coach Thomas Drouot, the Boulogne Côte d’Opale Basketball squad used a dominant opening quarter to establish control at the Palais des Sports, holding off a late push from their ELITE 2 opponents.
Boulogne Establishes Early Control in the Opening Quarter
The home side took command immediately, outscoring Le Havre 21-8 in the first ten minutes. That 13-point cushion created a significant hurdle for a visiting lineup that struggled to generate offense early. Instead of relying on perimeter shooting, the team punished Le Havre inside, scoring 32 points in the paint compared to 22 for the visitors, while securing a decisive 47-36 advantage on the boards.
Le Havre Mounts a Brief Response Before the Break
Le Havre worked its way back into the contest during the second period. Lauriane Dolt’s group claimed the second quarter 19-11, cutting the deficit to five points at 32-27 as the teams headed to the locker rooms. The STB side shot 33 percent from the field overall, hitting 20 of 59 attempts. Yannick Nkombou paced the visitors with a game-high 14 points, while teammate Maxime Galin added 11 points behind a three-of-five performance from three-point range. However, the collective shooting struggles prevented Le Havre from completing the comeback.
Bench Production Secures Boulogne Victory over Le Havre
Boulogne responded after halftime by winning the third quarter 19-16 to stretch the margin back to eight points at 51-43 with ten minutes remaining. The final frame played out evenly at 14-14, locking in the eight-point victory. Samuel Eyango-Dingo led the hosts with 11 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes of action, while Noah Manet chipped in 10 points. Lucas Thevenard added a complete stat line of seven points and 10 rebounds. Bench production proved vital for the victors, as the BCOB reserves contributed 30 points to outpace Le Havre’s bench output.
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