French Semaine des As, final: February 22, 2009 - FRANCE

June 20, 2013

French Semaine des As, final: February 22, 2009

Le Mans Sarthe Basket is once again the French Semaine des As champion! Le Mans rounded a perfect weekend and lifted its second Semaine des As trophy - its first since 2006 - by topping Entente Orleanaise 64-74in the title game in Le Havre on Sunday. Le Mans had beaten Le Havre in the quarterfinals and Chorale Roanne in the semifinals to advance to the title game. David Bluthenthal led the winners with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Alain Koffi added 13 points while Joao Paulo Batista had 11 for Le Mans. Aldo Curti had 17 points for Orleans while Adrien Moerman added 12. Ryvon Covile got Orleans going with a layup while Moerman added a triple for a 5-2 lead. Le Mans struggled to score in the opening minutes. Meanwhile, back-to-back baskets by Anthony Dobbins ignited a 9-0 run that Moerman capped with a bomb from downtown to boost Orleans' 14-5 record. Bluthenthal tried to change things with a jumper while Koffi scored twice around the basket to keep Le Mans within 17-12. Terence Dials and Laurent Sciarra kept Orleans way ahead, 20-14, after 10 minutes. Bobby Dixon rescued Le Mans with a three-point play. Le Mans found a go-to guy in Batista, that had 7 points in a 0-11 run to give his team a 22-29 margin midway through the second quarter. A three-pointer by Curti ignited a 7-0 run that Brian Greene capped with a layup for a 29-29 tie. Batista stayed unstoppable while a three-pointer by Bluthenthal helped Le Mans to regain the lead, 33-37, at halftime. Three-pointers by Dixon, Maleye Ndoye and Dee Spencer allowed Le Mans to get a double-digit lead, 35-48, immediately after the break. Orleans found a go-to guy in Banks, that had 5 points in a 10-0 run that brought his team back to life, 47-50. Bluthenthal stepped up for Le Mans with consecutive triples to give Le Mans some fresh air, 49-58, after 30 minutes. Batista and Bluthenthal stayed on fire early in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Pape Badiane followed a layup with free throws to break the game open, 51-66, with 5 minutes to go. Orleans called timeout but never recovered, as a patient offense and free throw accuracy was enough for Le Mans to keep a safe lead until the final buzzer and celebrate the win!

French Cup Semaine des As, February 19-22, 2009
Quarterfinals	Gravelines vs. Chorale Roanne	61-63	Feb. 19
	Le Mans vs. Le Havre	82-79	Feb. 19
	Orleans vs. Strasbourg	87-82	Feb. 20
	Asvel Basket vs. SLUC Nancy	62-55	Feb. 20
Semifinals	Chorale Roanne vs. Le Mans	77-84	Feb. 21
Semifinals	Orleans vs. Asvel Basket	72-66	Feb. 21
Final	Orleans vs. Le Mans	64-74	Feb. 22