Cibona vs. Le Mans - ShowGame - Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL

May 21, 2013

Regular Season Game 7 - December 10, 2008 CET: 18:30 Local time: 18:30 - BASKETBALL CENTER DRAZEN PETROVIC

Cibona 89 - 70 Le Mans

REGULAR SEASON, GAME 7

GROUP A

GROUP B

GROUP C

GROUP D

Records

Ave.		Ave.
0-0	Final Four	0-0
0-0	Playoffs	0-0
0-0	Top 16	0-0
4-2	Regular Season	0-6
4-2	Overall	0-6

Referees

Crew Chief

BRAZAUSKAS, ROMUALDAS, Lithuania

Referee

PEREZ PIZARRO, EMILIO, Spain

Umpire

MIKHAYLOV, SERGEY, Russia

Team Stats

Ave.		Ave.
76.0	Points	72.3
30.5	Rebounds	28.7
9.3	O. Rebounds	11.0
21.2	D. Rebounds	17.7
9.8	Assists	12.7
8.2	Steals	10.7
3.0	Blocks	2.3
14.3	Turnovers	13.5
54.4 %	2PT	44.7 %
32.6 %	3PT	35.0 %
78.9 %	FT	75.3 %
75.5	Index	65.7

Team Stats - Cibona

Team Stats - Le Mans

Player Stats

Ave.		Ave.
13.7 / Kus	Points	13.5 / BLU, DAVID
5.5 / VUKUSIC, VEDRAN	Rebounds	7.3 / Koffi
1.7 / Rozic	OR	3.0 / Koffi
4.0 / VUKUSIC, VEDRAN	DR	4.3 / Koffi
2.7 / Calloway	Assists	3.3 / CHASE, BRIAN
2.0 / Calloway	Steals	2.2 / CHASE, BRIAN
1.3 / HOMAN, JARED	Blocks	1.3 / Koffi
3.2 / Calloway	Turnovers	2.7 / CHASE, BRIAN
85.7 % / TROHA, ROBERT	2PT	58.5 % / Batista
50.0 % / PRINC, VEDRAN	3PT	50.0 % / BLU, DAVID
100.0 % / PRINC, VEDRAN	FT	90.0 % / CHASE, BRIAN
13.8 / PRKACIN, NIKOLA	Index	12.8 / Koffi

Team Roster - Cibona

Team Roster - Le Mans

THE TAKE

Cibona will look to keep pace with the top teams in Group A when it hosts winless Le Mans on Wednesday. Cibona returns home to the Drazen Petrovic Basketball center in Zagreb after losing last week at Maccabi to fall to 4-2 and one win behind group leader Olympiacos. And since the Reds face the team that is currently tied with Cibona for second, Unicaja, had coach Velimir Perasovic’s men know that a win over Le Mans will leave them either in a tie for first place or in sole possession of second. Meanwhile Le Mans continues to hunt for its first win. Head coach J.D. Jackson’s men are coming off their worst loss of the season, a 55-87 capitulation to Unicaja. It was the first time Le Mans lost this season by more than 5 points. One off those narrow losses came in Week 2 against Cibona, 54-58, as Earl Calloway erupted for 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists – all season highs – to lead the winners. Calloway has scored in double figures in every game since and Cibona has scored at least 80 points in three of the four games since. Calloway teams with Davor Kus and Rawle Marshall to give Cibona exceptional scoring options from the perimeter, while Marin Rozic adds intensity off the bench. Le Mans counters with an equally potent offensive backcourt featuring Brian Chase, Dee Spencer and David Bluthenthal, while teenager Antoine Diot brings playmaking and defensive skills in a reserve role. J.P. Batiste is Le Mans’s top inside scorer and Pape Badiane, Alain Koffi and Maleye Ndoye for an athletic and aggressive frontcourt. Cibona has four different players that split time upfront: the savvy Niksa Prkacin, bruising Jared Homan, mobile Luksa Andric and forward Vedran Vukusic, who can punish defenses with his mid-range and outside shot. The Le Mans players surely know that another loss will essentially kill their last hopes for a spot in the Top 16, so Jackson’s charges are certain to come out hungry. But it will be a tough task against Cibona, which is perfect at home this year. Le Mans will need a balanced attack, including a serious scoring threat inside, to have a chance at winning in Zagreb. The key matchup could be at small forward, where Bluthenthal will need to guard the quicker Marshall at times. GAME QUOTES Cibona Guard Earl Calloway recorded season highs in points, rebounds and assists in Cibona’s Week 2 victory at Le Mans. Calloway registered 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists to lead his team that night. Forward Vedran Vukusic’s confidence has grown recently as he has established Euroleague career bests in each of his last two games. Two weeks ago he grabbed 11 rebounds in a win over Avellino and last week he made 3 triples en route to 18 points against Maccabi. Forward Marin Rozic is coming off a spectacular game in the Adriatic League. Rozic produced 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in a win against Bosna. Le Mans Big man J.P. Batista scored a Euroleague career-high 21 points in his team’s Week 2 loss against Cibona. Teenager Antoine Diot is spending more time at point guard recently and has averaged 5 assists per game over the past two games. The only game in which reserve forward Maleye Ndoye has failed to score in this weason was against Cibona. Tuesday, December 09, 2008 Euroleague.net

Cibona will look to keep pace with the top teams in Group A when it hosts winless Le Mans on Wednesday. Cibona returns home to the Drazen Petrovic Basketball center in Zagreb after losing last week at Maccabi to fall to 4-2 and one win behind group leader Olympiacos. And since the Reds face the team that is currently tied with Cibona for second, Unicaja, had coach Velimir Perasovic’s men know that a win over Le Mans will leave them either in a tie for first place or in sole possession of second. Meanwhile Le Mans continues to hunt for its first win. Head coach J.D. Jackson’s men are coming off their worst loss of the season, a 55-87 capitulation to Unicaja. It was the first time Le Mans lost this season by more than 5 points. One off those narrow losses came in Week 2 against Cibona, 54-58, as Earl Calloway erupted for 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists – all season highs – to lead the winners. Calloway has scored in double figures in every game since and Cibona has scored at least 80 points in three of the four games since. Calloway teams with Davor Kus and Rawle Marshall to give Cibona exceptional scoring options from the perimeter, while Marin Rozic adds intensity off the bench. Le Mans counters with an equally potent offensive backcourt featuring Brian Chase, Dee Spencer and David Bluthenthal, while teenager Antoine Diot brings playmaking and defensive skills in a reserve role. J.P. Batiste is Le Mans’s top inside scorer and Pape Badiane, Alain Koffi and Maleye Ndoye for an athletic and aggressive frontcourt. Cibona has four different players that split time upfront: the savvy Niksa Prkacin, bruising Jared Homan, mobile Luksa Andric and forward Vedran Vukusic, who can punish defenses with his mid-range and outside shot. The Le Mans players surely know that another loss will essentially kill their last hopes for a spot in the Top 16, so Jackson’s charges are certain to come out hungry. But it will be a tough task against Cibona, which is perfect at home this year. Le Mans will need a balanced attack, including a serious scoring threat inside, to have a chance at winning in Zagreb. The key matchup could be at small forward, where Bluthenthal will need to guard the quicker Marshall at times.

GAME QUOTES

Cibona

Guard Earl Calloway recorded season highs in points, rebounds and assists in Cibona’s Week 2 victory at Le Mans. Calloway registered 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists to lead his team that night.
Forward Vedran Vukusic’s confidence has grown recently as he has established Euroleague career bests in each of his last two games. Two weeks ago he grabbed 11 rebounds in a win over Avellino and last week he made 3 triples en route to 18 points against Maccabi.
Forward Marin Rozic is coming off a spectacular game in the Adriatic League. Rozic produced 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in a win against Bosna.

Le Mans

Big man J.P. Batista scored a Euroleague career-high 21 points in his team’s Week 2 loss against Cibona.
Teenager Antoine Diot is spending more time at point guard recently and has averaged 5 assists per game over the past two games.
The only game in which reserve forward Maleye Ndoye has failed to score in this weason was against Cibona.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Euroleague.net

Quotes Head Coaches

PERASOVIC, VELIMIR Cibona "Le Mans does not have a single victory in the Euroleague yet, but that makes them even more dangerous. They played OT in Tel Aviv, they were close at home against Olympiacos, and the only game they lost with a big margin was the one against Unicaja. For us, the victory is vital in this game and this is what we must have to do. We have played some "must win" games this season and I think we have mental and physical stability to do that again. The key is to control the game from the beginning to the last minute."

PERASOVIC, VELIMIR

Cibona

"Le Mans does not have a single victory in the Euroleague yet, but that makes them even more dangerous. They played OT in Tel Aviv, they were close at home against Olympiacos, and the only game they lost with a big margin was the one against Unicaja. For us, the victory is vital in this game and this is what we must have to do. We have played some "must win" games this season and I think we have mental and physical stability to do that again. The key is to control the game from the beginning to the last minute."

JACKSON, JOHN-DAVID Le Mans "We are coming off a very difficult defeat against Malaga that has really hurt our confidence. We are going to do our best to beat Cibona, who has shown that they are one of the top teams in the group. We want to win the game, but also really want to win back our confidence. In spite of our string of defeats, we have often shown that we have the tools to beat good Euroleague teams. Now we have to get over the hump and find the path to victory."

JACKSON, JOHN-DAVID

Le Mans

"We are coming off a very difficult defeat against Malaga that has really hurt our confidence. We are going to do our best to beat Cibona, who has shown that they are one of the top teams in the group. We want to win the game, but also really want to win back our confidence. In spite of our string of defeats, we have often shown that we have the tools to beat good Euroleague teams. Now we have to get over the hump and find the path to victory."

Players

LONGIN, BRANIMIR Cibona "We have two really important games coming up this week and the first one, versus Le Mans, could be decisive for advancing to the Top 16. We already won against them in their Arena, and we know each other really well. I hope that our Arena will be full once again and that we will be able to complete that task with the help of our fans. That is my dream."

LONGIN, BRANIMIR

Cibona

"We have two really important games coming up this week and the first one, versus Le Mans, could be decisive for advancing to the Top 16. We already won against them in their Arena, and we know each other really well. I hope that our Arena will be full once again and that we will be able to complete that task with the help of our fans. That is my dream."

NDOYE, MALEYE Le Mans "The first game at home against Cibona should have been won by our team. That was the beginning of our trouble in the Euroleague. With another issue in this game, all could have been different. We have to face the situation and take a kind of revenge, even if we know it won’t change our situation in this group. Let’s try to win our last games and stay positive."

NDOYE, MALEYE

Le Mans

"The first game at home against Cibona should have been won by our team. That was the beginning of our trouble in the Euroleague. With another issue in this game, all could have been different. We have to face the situation and take a kind of revenge, even if we know it won’t change our situation in this group. Let’s try to win our last games and stay positive."

Cibona took a huge step to solidifying its spot in the Euroleague Top 16 with a convincing 89-70 victory at home over Le Mans in Group A. Cibona used a 13-2 run in the third quarter to take control of the game and then never let the guests closer than 12 points in the fourth quarter. Head coach Velimir Perasovic's side improved to 5-2 in the group, while Le Mans is still looking for its first victory after dropping to 0-7. Rawle Marshall led all scorers with 21 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Earl Calloway added 18 points, Marin Rozic hit for 12, Davor Kus had 11 and Nikola Prkacin chipped in 10 points for the winners, who shot 66% from the field. David Bluthenthal paced Le Mans with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Alain Koffi added 14 points and Joao Paulo Batista chipped in 12 in a losing effort. Koffi grabbed the lead right off the tip-off for Le Mans on a quick layup. Cibona struggled early offensively until Calloway finally got the hosts on the scoreboard with 2 foul shots after nearly two minutes played. Calloway's fade-away and jumper in the lane made it 6-2 before Bluthenthal hit to trim to 6-4. After a Marshall driving layup, Brian Chase nailed a triple to bring Le Mans within 8-7. Both teams swapped baskets before Jared Homan's dunk off a fine interior pass from Vedran Vukusic made it 14-11. Davor Kus converted a three-point play for the biggest lead of the game thus far at 17-11. Koffi hit a layup off the glass and after both teams went a series of possessions without a score, Pape Badiane converted a three-point play to make it 17-16. Two foul shots by Prkacin and one by Marshall offset Maleye NDoye's offensive rebound put-back as Cibona led 20-18 after one period. The hosts started the second quarter with some fine passing work around the perimeter with Rozic knocking down a three-pointer to make it 23-18. And it was 25-20 after Prkacin hit an inside layup after a fine pass from Luksa Andric. Bluthenthal sandwiched three-pointers around a Kus layup to bring Le Mans within 27-26, and Badiane knocked down a long jumper for a 27-28 Le Mans lead - resulting in Cibona boss Perasovic calling a timeout. The crafty veteran Prkacin hit a tough lefty inside shot to regain the lead for the hosts, but Antoine Diot and Bluthethal both made layups as Le Mans led 29-32. After Kus and Batista swapped 2 foul shots, Marshall hit a tough layup in the post only to miss the chance to convert the three-point play and knot the game. But he gave Cibona back the lead with a triple from the left wing and made it 38-34 with 2 free throws. Koffi followed with 2 foul shots and then a steal and break-away layup to even the game again, 38-38. But Marshall was left wide open on the wing and drained a three-ball to make it 41-38. French youngsters Diot and Jeremy Leloup converted just 1 of 5 free throws in cutting the deficit to 41-39. And after Marshall and Leloup both made two from the charity stripe, the second quarter finished just as it started with the hosts passing well and Rozic hitting a triple as Cibona went into halftime leading 46-41. Batista opened the second half with a long jumper for the guests and Koffi's own long jumper made it 48-45. But Prkacin hit a fine basket inside after a Marshall dish to start the decisive run for the game. Vukusic hit a layup and then a three-pointer after a pass from Marshall and Le Mans called a timeout down 55-47. Two Rozic foul shots made it a 10-point game and then Marshall dunked home a steal before Calloway knifed into the lane for a layup to finish the 13-2 run with Cibona ahead 61-47. Koffi stopped the bleeding with a dunk and Leloup's layup made it 64-51. But Cibona continued to pull away with Calloway hitting a turn-around jumper and Rozic converting on a delayed break for a 68-51 advantage. Leloup converted a break-away layup and Badiane scored as well as Le Mans tried to stay close. And Bluthenthal's half-court three-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer left Le Mans down 72-58 going into the fourth. Le Mans opened the final period with the first basket as Diot found Badiane in the lane for a dunk and the deficit was down to 72-60. But Le Mans would not get any closer the rest of the game. Calloway got out on the break for a layup and then Kus drained a triple and Homan hit a lay-in after another fine pass by Marshall and Cibona was back ahead 79-60 midway through the fourth. Chase stopped the Cibona run with a jumper but Calloway's turn-around jumper made it 82-62 and Cibona began taking out its starters. Andric's two foul shots upped the lead to 84-62 but Batista hit a dunk and lay-up before Chase's lay-up on the break cut the margin to 85-68 with under two minutes left. Tomislav Zubcic and Branimir Longin both made two foul shots to extend the lead back over 20 points until Batista's jumper just before the buzzer. Wednesday, December 10, 2008 Euroleague.net

Cibona took a huge step to solidifying its spot in the Euroleague Top 16 with a convincing 89-70 victory at home over Le Mans in Group A. Cibona used a 13-2 run in the third quarter to take control of the game and then never let the guests closer than 12 points in the fourth quarter. Head coach Velimir Perasovic's side improved to 5-2 in the group, while Le Mans is still looking for its first victory after dropping to 0-7. Rawle Marshall led all scorers with 21 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Earl Calloway added 18 points, Marin Rozic hit for 12, Davor Kus had 11 and Nikola Prkacin chipped in 10 points for the winners, who shot 66% from the field. David Bluthenthal paced Le Mans with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Alain Koffi added 14 points and Joao Paulo Batista chipped in 12 in a losing effort.

Koffi grabbed the lead right off the tip-off for Le Mans on a quick layup. Cibona struggled early offensively until Calloway finally got the hosts on the scoreboard with 2 foul shots after nearly two minutes played. Calloway's fade-away and jumper in the lane made it 6-2 before Bluthenthal hit to trim to 6-4. After a Marshall driving layup, Brian Chase nailed a triple to bring Le Mans within 8-7. Both teams swapped baskets before Jared Homan's dunk off a fine interior pass from Vedran Vukusic made it 14-11. Davor Kus converted a three-point play for the biggest lead of the game thus far at 17-11. Koffi hit a layup off the glass and after both teams went a series of possessions without a score, Pape Badiane converted a three-point play to make it 17-16. Two foul shots by Prkacin and one by Marshall offset Maleye NDoye's offensive rebound put-back as Cibona led 20-18 after one period.

Alain Koffi - Le Mans

The hosts started the second quarter with some fine passing work around the perimeter with Rozic knocking down a three-pointer to make it 23-18. And it was 25-20 after Prkacin hit an inside layup after a fine pass from Luksa Andric. Bluthenthal sandwiched three-pointers around a Kus layup to bring Le Mans within 27-26, and Badiane knocked down a long jumper for a 27-28 Le Mans lead - resulting in Cibona boss Perasovic calling a timeout. The crafty veteran Prkacin hit a tough lefty inside shot to regain the lead for the hosts, but Antoine Diot and Bluthethal both made layups as Le Mans led 29-32. After Kus and Batista swapped 2 foul shots, Marshall hit a tough layup in the post only to miss the chance to convert the three-point play and knot the game. But he gave Cibona back the lead with a triple from the left wing and made it 38-34 with 2 free throws. Koffi followed with 2 foul shots and then a steal and break-away layup to even the game again, 38-38. But Marshall was left wide open on the wing and drained a three-ball to make it 41-38. French youngsters Diot and Jeremy Leloup converted just 1 of 5 free throws in cutting the deficit to 41-39. And after Marshall and Leloup both made two from the charity stripe, the second quarter finished just as it started with the hosts passing well and Rozic hitting a triple as Cibona went into halftime leading 46-41.

Batista opened the second half with a long jumper for the guests and Koffi's own long jumper made it 48-45. But Prkacin hit a fine basket inside after a Marshall dish to start the decisive run for the game. Vukusic hit a layup and then a three-pointer after a pass from Marshall and Le Mans called a timeout down 55-47. Two Rozic foul shots made it a 10-point game and then Marshall dunked home a steal before Calloway knifed into the lane for a layup to finish the 13-2 run with Cibona ahead 61-47. Koffi stopped the bleeding with a dunk and Leloup's layup made it 64-51. But Cibona continued to pull away with Calloway hitting a turn-around jumper and Rozic converting on a delayed break for a 68-51 advantage. Leloup converted a break-away layup and Badiane scored as well as Le Mans tried to stay close. And Bluthenthal's half-court three-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer left Le Mans down 72-58 going into the fourth.

Le Mans opened the final period with the first basket as Diot found Badiane in the lane for a dunk and the deficit was down to 72-60. But Le Mans would not get any closer the rest of the game. Calloway got out on the break for a layup and then Kus drained a triple and Homan hit a lay-in after another fine pass by Marshall and Cibona was back ahead 79-60 midway through the fourth. Chase stopped the Cibona run with a jumper but Calloway's turn-around jumper made it 82-62 and Cibona began taking out its starters. Andric's two foul shots upped the lead to 84-62 but Batista hit a dunk and lay-up before Chase's lay-up on the break cut the margin to 85-68 with under two minutes left. Tomislav Zubcic and Branimir Longin both made two foul shots to extend the lead back over 20 points until Batista's jumper just before the buzzer.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Euroleague.net

Referees: BRAZAUSKAS, ROMUALDAS (LTU), PEREZ PIZARRO, EMILIO (ESP), MIKHAYLOV, SERGEY (RUS)

Attendance: 4500

By Quarter	1	2	3	4
Cibona	20	26	26	17
Le Mans	18	23	17	12

End of Quarter	1	2	3	4
Cibona	20	46	72	89
Le Mans	18	41	58	70

Head coach: PERASOVIC, VELIMIR

Cibona
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG M-A	3FG M-A	FT M-A	Rebounds			As	St	To	Bl		Fouls		PIR
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG M-A	3FG M-A	FT M-A	O	D	T	As	St	To	Fv	Ag	Cm	Rv	PIR
4	HOMAN, JARED	15:05	4	2/3				1	1			1			2		1
5	KUS, DAVOR	27:10	11	2/4	1/3	4/5		1	1	2		2	1		2	3	9
7	LONGIN, BRANIMIR	11:24	3			3/4						1				2	3
8	PRKACIN, NIKOLA	21:25	10	4/6		2/2		1	1		2	4		1	2	3	7
9	TROHA, ROBERT	2:23													1		-1
11	VUKUSIC, VEDRAN	24:14	6	1/2	1/1	1/2	2	1	3	2	2	1			1	3	12
12	ANDRIC, LUKSA	13:57	2		0/1	2/2	1	1	2	2		1			3	1	2
13	CALLOWAY, EARL	28:24	18	7/8	0/2	4/4		3	3	2		1				4	23
15	ZUBCIC, TOMISLAV	4:04	2		0/1	2/2	1	1	2		1	1				1	4
19	PRINC, VEDRAN	7:36				0/2		1	1						1	1	-1
20	ROZIC, MARIN	16:49	12	2/3	2/2	2/2					2	2			2	3	12
23	MARSHALL, RAWLE	27:29	21	5/5	2/3	5/7		5	5	3	2	1			1	8	34
	Team							2	2								2
	Totals	200:00	89	23/31	6/13	25/32	4	17	21	11	9	15	1	1	15	29	107
				74.2%	46.2%	78.1%

Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating

Head coach: JACKSON, JOHN-DAVID

Le Mans
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG M-A	3FG M-A	FT M-A	Rebounds			As	St	To	Bl		Fouls		PIR
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG M-A	3FG M-A	FT M-A	O	D	T	As	St	To	Fv	Ag	Cm	Rv	PIR
4	GOMIS, ANTOINE	0:30
5	CHASE, BRIAN	29:00	7	2/5	1/4			1	1	1		2			2	1
6	SPENCER, DEWARICK	11:35	2	0/1	0/1	2/2		1	1	1		2			2	3	1
7	KOFFI, ALAIN	27:52	14	6/11		2/2	1		1	3	2	4	1		3	1	10
8	DIOT, ANTOINE	23:06	2	1/1		0/2		2	2	1		2			5	2	-2
9	NDOYE, MALEYE	16:40	2	1/1	0/2		2		2			3			3	1	-3
10	LELOUP, JEREMY	17:37	7	2/2	0/1	3/5				2	1				5	2	4
11	BATISTA, JOAO PAULO	21:45	12	5/9		2/2	2	2	4	3	1	2		1	4	3	12
12	BADIANE, PAPE	17:41	9	4/5	0/1	1/1	3	1	4			2			2	2	9
13	BLU, DAVID	34:14	15	3/5	3/7		2	5	7	1	1	1			3		14
	Team							1	1								1
	Totals	200:00	70	24/40	4/16	10/14	10	13	23	12	5	18	1	1	29	15	46
				60%	25%	71.4%

This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

PERASOVIC, VELIMIR Cibona "We did what we wanted to do, and we hold our own destiny for qualifying to the Top 16. If we win one more game, we are for sure in. In the first two quarters we were nervous and that is the main reason we allowed too many points. In the second half our game was at the level we wanted it to be. Throughout this season we are showing a lot of hustle, we are playing serious and with character. Calloway started this game in second or third gear, but later on he played great. This game was really important for Marshall's confidence after he did not play well in the last two games. But, all our players played well tonight, and it is not important who is leading us, but that we find the way to victory."

PERASOVIC, VELIMIR

Cibona

"We did what we wanted to do, and we hold our own destiny for qualifying to the Top 16. If we win one more game, we are for sure in. In the first two quarters we were nervous and that is the main reason we allowed too many points. In the second half our game was at the level we wanted it to be. Throughout this season we are showing a lot of hustle, we are playing serious and with character. Calloway started this game in second or third gear, but later on he played great. This game was really important for Marshall's confidence after he did not play well in the last two games. But, all our players played well tonight, and it is not important who is leading us, but that we find the way to victory."

JACKSON, JOHN-DAVID Le Mans "We started with confidence and with solutions on offense, but in the last few weeks we have dropped with our toughness on defense. For me that is frustrating. Players are thinking and concentrating about finding their offense, but the way we should do it is to focus on our defense. Before Rawle Marshall started hitting shots, we were doing well. He is a great player, but he is not real big and maybe we should have been playing tougher defense on him."

JACKSON, JOHN-DAVID

Le Mans

"We started with confidence and with solutions on offense, but in the last few weeks we have dropped with our toughness on defense. For me that is frustrating. Players are thinking and concentrating about finding their offense, but the way we should do it is to focus on our defense. Before Rawle Marshall started hitting shots, we were doing well. He is a great player, but he is not real big and maybe we should have been playing tougher defense on him."

Players

ROZIC, MARIN Cibona "We got the result we were hoping to get. We were nervous in the first half, but in the second everything was going as it was supposed to. The key was our concentration and our discipline. We allowed too many easy baskets in the first half, but in the second we raised our aggressiveness and we started getting easy baskets. That led us to a big lead that we were not intending to drop."
MARSHALL, RAWLE Cibona "This was a very important game, because if we had lost, we might not be able to get into the Top 16. I knew we had to win and I'm glad we came out with a victory. It is a little tough for me to play one game a week. Tonight I was much more relaxed than in the last two Euroleague games. I had a lot of energy and I knew what I had to do in the game."

ROZIC, MARIN

Cibona

"We got the result we were hoping to get. We were nervous in the first half, but in the second everything was going as it was supposed to. The key was our concentration and our discipline. We allowed too many easy baskets in the first half, but in the second we raised our aggressiveness and we started getting easy baskets. That led us to a big lead that we were not intending to drop."

MARSHALL, RAWLE

Cibona

"This was a very important game, because if we had lost, we might not be able to get into the Top 16. I knew we had to win and I'm glad we came out with a victory. It is a little tough for me to play one game a week. Tonight I was much more relaxed than in the last two Euroleague games. I had a lot of energy and I knew what I had to do in the game."

BLU, DAVID Le Mans "It is not a good feeling. We work just as hard as the other teams. We have talented players, a good coach, we are in a great situation. And to be winless at this stage of the competition is a tough pill to swallow. But we have three games remaining and we have to believe. We are not yet mathematically eliminated and crazier things have happened. Basketball is a special game, and you can turn it around any minute. We have to stay focused."
CHASE, BRIAN Le Mans "It is a very big, tough loss. We are not out mathematically. We got to stay confident. Five out of seven games were very close, we felt like we had a chance to win all five of those. Right now we are at a tough period, we have to get everybody on the same page. Who knows what can happen if we win these last three games. We are making mistakes. Cibona is a disciplined team, they are good players and play good together but if we would have minimized our mistakes it would have been a totally different game. Just like when they came to our gym."

BLU, DAVID

Le Mans

"It is not a good feeling. We work just as hard as the other teams. We have talented players, a good coach, we are in a great situation. And to be winless at this stage of the competition is a tough pill to swallow. But we have three games remaining and we have to believe. We are not yet mathematically eliminated and crazier things have happened. Basketball is a special game, and you can turn it around any minute. We have to stay focused."

CHASE, BRIAN

Le Mans

"It is a very big, tough loss. We are not out mathematically. We got to stay confident. Five out of seven games were very close, we felt like we had a chance to win all five of those. Right now we are at a tough period, we have to get everybody on the same page. Who knows what can happen if we win these last three games. We are making mistakes. Cibona is a disciplined team, they are good players and play good together but if we would have minimized our mistakes it would have been a totally different game. Just like when they came to our gym."

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