Le Mans Sarthe Basket won 65-71 at Riga Zelli in the BKT EuroCup on Wednesday, rallying from a 12-point first-half deficit to claim its second road victory of the regular season — a result that matters in the race for the competition’s qualification, Ouest-France reported.
The win in the Latvian capital gives the Sarthe club momentum at a point in the EuroCup calendar where away results carry extra weight in the standings.
Lucas Dufeal is putting on a show 😱 First a massive block, then an incredible dunk! 💪@MSB_Officiel | #RoadToGreatness pic.twitter.com/k6ZufQAX2P
Riga Zelli dictates the early tempo in Riga
The opening minutes gave little indication of how the first period would unfold. Le Mans was set defensively, came away with steals, and leaned on Lucas Duféal, who chained a block and a dunk on the same action to put the visitors ahead 3-8 after three minutes.
Riga Zelli quickly took control. The Latvians ramped up their defensive aggression to disrupt Le Mans’ transition game, while using that same intensity on offense — scoring in transition and from deep, going 5/7 from three-point range in the first quarter. By the 9th minute, Le Mans trailed 27-15.
No brakes for Ivan Tkachenko 💨@RigasZelli pic.twitter.com/xJUm4I7Rs2
Offensive rebounds sink Le Mans in the first half
Head coach Guillaume Vizade’s side managed to slow the hosts’ scoring in the second quarter, but it ceded far too much space under its own basket. Riga Zelli turned that into second and third chances: the Latvians grabbed 15 offensive rebounds in the first half alone, more than Le Mans’ entire rebound total of 14 across both ends.
That dominance on the glass prevented Le Mans from playing its preferred up-tempo game. Confined mostly to half-court offense, the visitors were too imprecise — 10 turnovers in 20 minutes and just 4/10 from the free-throw line — and the deficit stood at 40-28 at halftime.
Flying in for the slam ✈️ Martynas Varnas with an incredible finish! 💥@RigasZelli | #RoadToGreatness pic.twitter.com/m2JZsRJaI5
The pattern continued early in the third quarter, with Riga Zelli extending its offensive rebounding advantage. It took several made baskets from Moses Wood, finally finding his range, to keep the visitors within a respectable distance at 46-36 after 25 minutes.
Le Mans storms back in the third quarter
The young Le Mans squad, riding confidence from recent weeks, refused to panic. As solutions became scarce, the visitors raised their defensive intensity minute by minute, carried by a far more effective Bastien Grasshoff than in his earlier stint, and pulled back to within two points at 49-47 after 30 minutes.
In a game that was sloppy on both ends — 36 turnovers combined — the visitors were determined not to let the opening window close. Léopold Delaunay’s activity and shot-making showed the way, with Le Mans leading 53-61 at the 35-minute mark. From there the revived side never relinquished the momentum.
Duféal’s free-throw struggles close the game
Le Mans still had to tighten its game down to the final seconds, largely because of its nerves from the charity stripe — embodied by Duféal’s 1/8 at the line. But the visitors held on to lock in the 65-71 win, their second on the road after Ljubljana.
For Riga Zelli, the defeat came despite a strong first half built on three-point shooting and second-chance points, with Ivan Tkachenko and Martynas Varnas among the standouts for the hosts.
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