The Roca Team were en fuego on Friday night as they launched an impressive attack on EuroLeague opponents FC Barcelona Bàsquet to shore up their Top Four position in the rankings.
The Monegasque side had a bit of a slow start, despite the fantastic result (77-67). Their first quarter stats saw them down 12 to 21, but things turned around quickly in the second quarter. Stepping up the pace, the team scored 21 points and headed into the locker room only two points down.
The second half saw a different team hit the court. In the third quarter, Monaco scored a massive 27 points versus Barça’s 16, and kept the balance in the final quarter.
The formidable Mike James proved his star status once again, adding 17 points to his team’s total while also creating situations for his fellow players to shine as well.
“He focused Barcelona’s defence a lot and was able to open up situations for his teammates, while also scoring important points. A very solid match from him ,” said Coach Sasa Obradovic.
Also of note were Matthew Strazel, who scored 13 points, and Donatas Motiejunas, with 12.
“We are very happy with this victory,”’ said Motiejunas. “It’s the first time I’ve won on the Barcelona floor! It was an important match [and] we are getting closer to second place. We all raised the bar in the second half to make the difference.”
“It’s a great victory, a very solid collective and physical performance from the whole team who were remarkable in their investment,” added a jubilant Obradovic. “We won above all on defence. There was a lot of joy in our locker room, this should give us even more confidence for the future, but we will have to keep this same state of mind for the next games, it is very important.”
The Roca Team will next be in action at home on 7th March when they host Red Star Belgrade in the Salle Gaston Médecin. For tickets, click here.
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Photo credit: AS Monaco Basketball