French League Semifinals, Game 3: June 6-7, 2008
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Just as like season, Chorale Roanne and Sluc Nancy made it to the French League final, to be played at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy on June 15. Both teams survived respective do-or-die Game 3 in theit best-of-three semifinals against Le Mans and Asvel Basket. Defending champion Chorale Roanne advanced to the title game by downing regular season winner Le Mans 57-71 on the road on Saturday. Marc Salyers paced the winners with 20 points. Brion Rush added 11 while Pape Badiane had 10 for Roanne. Sam Clancy and Nebojsa Bogavac each had 10 points for Le Mans. Meanwhile, Nancy rallied from a 13-point deficit to down Asvel 104-89 at home and advance to its fourth consecutive French League final. Ricardo Greer paced the winners with 30 points and 9 assists. Michael Bauer added 18, Jeff Greer had 17, Pape Amagou got 11 while Cyril Julian contributed 10 for Nancy. Yohann Sangare had 17 points for Asvel, Chevon Troutman and Lamayn Wilson each added 16, Robert Conley got 14 while Uche Nsonwu contributed 13 for the guests.
On Friday, Sangare struck three times from downtown in a 5-18 run in the opening 4 minutes that Conley capped with a jumper. Ricardo Greer tried to change things for Nancy but an outstanding Wilson kept the guests ahead, 23-32, after 10 minutes. Julian and Ricardo Greer brought Nancy as close as 35-38 but Laurent Foirest, Troutman and a final triple by Conley kept Asvel ahead, 44-51, at halftime. Nancy improved its offense after the break and used a 18-4 run that Ricardo Greer capped with consecutive triples to get a 62-55 lead. A three-point play by Victor Samnick gave the hosts a double-digit lead, 77-67, after 30 minutes. A 15-0 run that Bauer capped with a layup broke the game open, 95-71, allowing Nancy to reach yet another French League final.
On Saturday, Le Mans opened the game with a 7-0 run that Nicolas Batum capped with a dunk. Roanne did not panic, however, as Salyers, Rush and a final basket by Derrick Byars brought the guests within 15-13 after 10 minutes. Kone and an unstoppable Salyers led a 0-14 run that put Roanne ahead for good, 20-33. Free throws by Pierric Poupet allowed Roanne to keep its margin, 29-42, at halftime. Badiane, Adam Hess and Marc-Antoine Pellin stepped up to break the game open, 33-57, midway through the third quarter. Le Mans had not said its final word, however, as a 19-2 run that Antoine Diot capped with a layup got the hosts within 52-59 with 7 minutes to go. Salyers stepped up with 9 points in the final 6 minutes to make sure that Roanne will have the chance to defend its French League title in Bercy.
| Semifinals Playoffs, best of 3 games |
| Record | Team | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | | 1 | Le Mans (1) | 82 | 60 | 57 | | 2 | Roanne (4) | 67 | 73 | 71 | | 2 | Nancy (2) | 86 | 79 | 104 | | 1 | Asvel Basket (3) | 75 | 92 | 89 |
| Semifinals games | | Game 1 | Le Mans vs. Roanne | 82-67 | May 31 | | Game 1 | Nancy vs. Asvel Basket | 86-75 | May 31 | | Game 2 | Roanne vs. Le Mans | 73-60 | June 4 | | Game 2 | Asvel Basket vs. Nancy | 92-79 | June 3 | | Game 3 | Le Mans vs. Roanne | 57-71 | June 7 | | Game 3 | Nancy vs. Asvel Basket | 104-89 | June 6 |
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