A tough and demanding week on court, both at home and away, has put pressure on AS Monaco Basketball, who suffered a bruising defeat to Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague on 3rd April following two initial wins.
The week opened with a game against Olympiacos FC at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus on 27th March. The fixture ended in a victory for Monaco, who won 80-77, but it was a hard-fought exchange that could have gone either way until the final minutes. Mike James, with 23 points, was the star of the show for the Principality side that night, with Jaron Blossomgame adding a brilliant 18.
On 30th March, attention shifted back to Betclic Elite action with an away game against ESSM Le Portel. The Roca Team dominated their opponents at the Salle du Chaudron, maintaining a relentless pace from start to finish. The Monaco side ultimately secured a commanding 91-67 victory, a result that puts Monaco firmly in second place in the standings, just behind LDLC Asvel. Top scorers for the night included Vitto Brown and Matthew Strazel, both with 14 points, while Elie Okobo added 12.
The most recent game on 3rd April, which took place in the Salle Gaston Médecin, saw the Roca Team come unstuck against the Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos FC.
Struggling to find their footing, Monaco found themselves trailing by 17 points in the second quarter before mounting a minor comeback after halftime. Despite incredible individual performances—high scorer Daniel Theis was on fire with 18 points, Alpha Diallo added 16 while Elie Okobo took 13 to the total—the team simply didn’t have the defence to stop the Athenian side, losing 76-88 in front of a disappointed home crowd. The loss puts Monaco in fourth place in the EuroLeague, just behind Panathinaikos.
“Congratulations to Panathinaikos, they were better than us and deserve their victory. We started the match very poorly, and it’s very difficult to come back against such a strong team,” said Vassilis Spanoulis, Head Coach of AS Monaco Basketball. “I’m confident, I trust my players. Our destiny is in our hands.”
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Photo source: AS Monaco Basket