Monaco Basket Association (MBA) came back from an 11-point half-time deficit to briefly lead Lyon ASVEL Féminin before falling 71-81 in the Coupe de France battle on Wednesday 28th October.
A packed Salle Gaston-Médecin hosted an enthusiastic crowd supporting the unbeaten Ligue Féminine 2 leaders as they challenged their high-level opponents. Supporters became increasingly involved as the contest became closer, with the crowd’s energy reflected on court as MBA searched for an upset.
MONACO FIGHT BACK
ASVEL held a narrow 22-19 lead after the first quarter before extending their lead in the second, sending Monaco into the locker room trailing 35-46 at the halfway mark.
MBA delivered a strong third quarter performance, holding the visitors to only 10 points while adding 17 of their own, reducing the deficit to only four points heading into the final quarter of the game.
In the 33rd minute, Monaco took a 60-59 lead, making their aspirations of eliminating a team from the division above a true possibility. ASVEL, however, regained control in the final minutes to secure their place in the next round of competition.
STRONG INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Carolina Rodrigues led Monaco’s scoring with 18 points, while Stepha M’baye added 14 points and five rebounds.
Julie Tétart delivered a meaningful performance all-around with 13 points, nine rebounds, five steals, and two blocks, helping the team on both ends of the court.
The visitors’ shooting accuracy, however, proved to be the difference. ASVEL converted 50.9% of their field-goal attempts against Monaco’s 37.3%. They also made 11 three-point shots compared to MBA’s six.
CUP EXIT AFTER COMPETITIVE RUN
MBA had previously beaten La Tronche Meylan 77-50 in the previous round and entered the ASVEL match with five victories from five league games under their belt.
Although their run for the Coupe de France has come to an end, the evening provided evidence that Monaco has a definite ability to challenge higher-level competition. With a packed house responding to every close play, MBA’s second-half comeback gave Monaco’s supporters plenty to get behind.
Monaco Life is written by qualified journalists, writing original content. Sign up for our free newsletter, listen to our podcasts on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.
Photo credit: Kayla Sauceda / Monaco Life