The French team suffocated its Lithuanian rival with a physical approach
Strong defense carried Bourg to lifeline win over Lietkabelis
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (7-7) stayed in the hunt for a BTK EuroCup postsason berth with a 79-66 home win over 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (4-9), thanks to a huge defensive effort that forced a forgettable shooting night from the visitors.
Aggressive perimeter pressure had Lietkabelis making only 2 of 18 from downtown and the disjointed Lithuanian side also struggled from the foul line (18 of 29), while committing 15 turnovers against a mere 14 assists.
Crucially, Bourg made 11 three-pointers and thoroughly dominated the boards, 43-30, having racked up 16 offensive rebounds while Lietkabelis managed only half as many.
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Bourg big man Kevin Kokila, who posted 9 points and as many boards in a physical contest, concurred it was a vital victory for the French outfit in its bid to squeeze into the postseason picture.
“It was a very important game for us to keep our season going,” Kokila told EuroLeague TV. “We played tough in the second half, we controlled the ball on offense and that’s how we were able to build the gap. We’ve had some ups and downs this season but today we beat a very good team and we have to keep going this way."
The home team’s head coach Frederic Fauthoux heaped praise on a comprehensive effort at both ends of the court. “Perhaps for the first time this season, we played really good defense,” he said. “We played well at both ends of the court and I am very happy for this win. We dominated the paint in the second half and that was crucial.”
In Round 15, Lietkabelis aims to keep its slim postseason hopes alive with a tough home game against runaway Group B leader Valencia Basket, while Bourg visits lowly Aris Midea Thessaloniki.