Ludwigsburg thrashes Le Mans at home

MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg rounded its first-ever Eurocup regular season appearance in style by simply overwhelming Le Mans Sarthe Basket 90-49 at home on Wednesday. Ludwigsburg had qualified to the Last 32 before this game and finished Group B with a 7-3 record. Le Mans was fifth with 3-7 record and has been eliminated from the 2015-16 Eurocup. Mustafa Shakur led the winners with 17 points. Adam Waleskowski added 12 while Brad Loesing and Shawn Huff each had 10 for Ludwigsburg. Lahaou Konate led Le Mans with 11 points while Chris Lofton added 10 for the guests. Ludwigsburg opened the game with a 10-0 run but Le Mans cut its deficit to 21-14 after 10 minutes. It didn't last long, however, as Ludwigsburg boosted its margin to 46-22 at halftime and then again to 78-30 early in the fourth quarter to round an impressing win.

Shakur shined early, following free throws with a three-pointer to ignite a 10-0 opening run which Loesing capped with a layup-plus-foul. Le Mans went scoreless in the opening 5 minutes until Tywain McKee struck from downtown. Free throws by Mouphtaou Yarou and McKee kept the guests within 12-7. Alvaro Muñoz followed a big basket with a three-pointer and Shakur soon made Ludwigsburg restore a double-digit lead, 19-9. A basket by Robert Dozier and a three-pointer by Lofton brought Le Mans a bit closer, 21-14, after 10 minutes. Le Mans struggled to score again early in the second quarter and back-to-back baskets by Shakur gave Ludwigsburg a 25-14 lead. Waleskowski downed a three-pointer, Shakur hit free throws and a tip-in by Jon Brockman broke the game open, 32-14. Konate found his first points but Huff dunked and Rocky Trice gave Ludwigsburg a 36-17 margin. Lofton hit a triple from the left wing and Konate scored again to make the hosts call timeout at 36-22. Huff downed a triple and Shakur added a six-meter jumper off the dribble for a 41-22 Ludwigsburg lead. Huff insisted from downtown and a buzzer-beating put-back layup by Chris mcNaughton fixed the halftime score at 46-22.

McNaughton took over with a put-back basket right after the break and Royce O'Neale added a two-handed slam for a 50-22 Ludwigsburg lead. Lofton sank a jumper and Dozier scored again but Trice boosted the hosts' margin to 54-26. Ludwigsburg kept dominating the game with full court pressure and back-to-back baskets by Shakur and O'Neale made Le Mans call timeout at 58-26. The guests could not find the way to the basket while an outstanding Waleskowski and Jason Boone made it a 41-point game, 67-26. Yarou made free throws and Petr Cornelie copied him to keep Le Mans within 69-30 after 30 minutes. The outcome was clear but Ludwigsburg kept pushing, as free throws by O'Neale ignited a 9-0 run that McCray capped with a three-pointer to give the hosts a 48-point lead, 78-30. Yarou and Konate finally stepped up for Le Mans but it was too little, too late for the guests, as Ludwigsburg had cruised to a well-deserved win.