Le Mans secured their first continental win of the season by defeating the Rostock Seawolves 82-70 on Wednesday night at Antarès, breaking a losing streak in the EuroCup group stage.
Antarès Crowd Witnesses First Home Victory
Playing in front of their home supporters on October 14, 2026, Le Mans put together a commanding performance after dropping their opening European fixtures against Aris and Tortona. The 82-70 triumph over the German side also marks the team’s first victory at home across all competitions this season.
The turning point arrived during a decisive 21-4 run late in the second quarter that allowed the French club to take control before halftime. Four of the five starters finished with double-digit scoring figures, alongside Swann Penda, who was integrated into the starting lineup for the first time.
Guillaume Vizade Points to Shared Responsibility
Guillaume Vizade praised his squad’s offensive balance after the final whistle. Six players above 10 points, it’s good to be able to share the responsibilities, to have several weapons, several ways to score,
Vizade told EuroLeague TV.
LA PREMIÈRE VICTOIRE À DOMICILE !!! 🔥😤Un match globalement bien maîtrisé malgré un petit temps de relâchement sur la fin. Les gars ont trouvé les ressources pour recreuser de nouveau l’écart et décrocher cette première à la maison 🦾 pic.twitter.com/S2yWHlUgGP
The coach highlighted the steady return of Léopold Delaunay following a severe knee injury. Delaunay finished the night with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists for an evaluation rating of 20. We are happy to win this first victory of the season in the European Cup. For the fans, we wanted to do it,
Delaunay said.
Fourth-Quarter Lapse Tests MSB Lead
Despite building a comfortable 23-point advantage at 71-48, Le Mans nearly squandered the lead in the final period. The Rostock Seawolves shortened their rotation to seven players, ratcheting up physical pressure and defensive intensity to narrow the deficit to just five points at 75-70.
Lucas Dufeal stepped up in the closing minutes with five consecutive points to halt the German comeback attempt, finishing the game with 10 points and 7 rebounds. We had some good runs, but we relaxed a bit when we had a 20-point lead,
Vizade noted. We have to continue working on that, it can’t happen anymore, because it could have swung the other way.
Contrast With Previous European Struggles
Wednesday’s victory stands in sharp contrast to Le Mans’ opening EuroCup fixtures. Earlier in the campaign, the team dropped a 74-87 decision at home to Aris on September 29, 2026, before suffering a defeat away against Tortona.
During the loss in Italy at the Nova Arena in front of 1,866 spectators, Moses Wood led Le Mans with 18 points and Jordan King added 17 points, but the squad surrendered a rebounding disadvantage of 48 to 36. Against Rostock, however, Le Mans recorded 45 rebounds and capitalized on balanced scoring to seal the result.
The win also marks a personal milestone for Carlos Stewart, who contributed 12 points against Rostock to snap a personal eight-game skid in the competition spanning his time with Hamburg and Le Mans. Le Mans returns to competition following this fixture as the EuroCup group stage progresses.
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