Chorale Roanne thrashing Lottomatica Roma 104-85

Chorale Roanne snapped its five-game losing streak in Group C by thrashing Lottomatica Roma 104-85 in Clermont Ferrand, France on Wednesday night. Roanne improved to 2-5 and is now sixth in Group C, just one win away from the fifth spot, which leads to the Top 16. Meanwhile, Lottomatica dropped to 1-6, but plays five of its seven remaining games at home. Marc Salyers led the winners with 24 points. Brion Rush added 21 on 3-for-4 three-point shooting for Roanne, Adam Hess had 18, Pape Badiane posted a monster double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds while Marc-Antoine Pellin dished the second-most assists ever in a Euroleague game - 13. David Hawkins led 6 Lottomatica players in double digits with 16 points. Jacopo Giachetti added 14 points, Allan Ray had 13, Erik Daniels 12 while Gregor Fucka and Erazem Lorbek each got 10 for the guests, who were without starting point guard Roko Ukic. Rush and Salyers led Roanne to a 26-15 lead after 10 minutes, but Ray and Daniels allowed Lottomatica to get back in the game, 44-41. Badiane and a triple by Hess gave Roanne a 49-41 lead at halftime. Pellin and an unstoppable Rush allowed the hosts to boost their margin to 75-57 after 30 minutes. Lottomatica never recovered and all Roanne fans started to celebrate that their team registered its first Euroleague win in almost 50 years.

Salyers had a big block on Lorbek in the opening play and soon buried a three-pointer for a 3-0 Roanne lead. Hawkins dunked it off a midcourt steal to get Lottomatica going. Roberto Gabini scored inside but Rush dunked it to get Chorale back ahead, 5-4. Lorbek stepped up with a driving layup but Hess answered from downtown for a 8-6 score. Roanne, as usual, tried to speed up the game tempo as much as possible. Salyers hit a followup layup and soon added a free throw to give the hosts a 11-8 lead. Lottomatica struggled to score and had already entered the foul bonus. Badiane drew a foul and did not miss from the line but Daniels and Hawkins rescued Lottomatica with back-to-back layups. Pellin provided a highlight with a driving layup while Salyers banked in a turnaround jumper to keep Roanne ahead, 17-12, before heading to the bench with 2 fouls. That did not stop Roanne, as Laurent Cazalon hit a triple while Badiane added a put-back dunk to make Roma call timeout at 22-13. Cazalon made free throws to cap an 11-1 run while Rush added a layup off a steal to boost the hosts' lead to 26-15 after 10 minutes.

Roanne kept powering the offensive board early in the second quarter, while Rush found yet another uncontested layup to make it a 13-point game, 28-15. Allan Ray fed Fucka for an easy basket that Hess capped with another fast break basket. Ray buried a seven-meter bomb that Hess erased with a triple in the other end. Lorbek scored inside got Lottomatica back in track. Fucka added a layup while Ray hit a corner triple to make Roanne call timeout at 33-27. Lottomatica was diving for every single loose ball, while a three-pointer by Hawkins got the guests even closer, 34-30. Cazalon scored in penetration that Daniels immediately erased with a dunk in the other end. Fucka shined with his trademark off-balanced jumper but Pierric Poupet hit one from beyond the arc, good for a 39-34 Roanne edge. Daniels took over with an incredible turnaround jumper that Salyers bettered with an eight-meter triple. Hess stepped up with a five-meter jumper but a red hot Ray answered with a driving layup and Hawkins hit a three-pointer to get Lottomatica within 44-41. Badiane shocked everyone with a wild put-back dunk while Hess beat the buzzer with a corner triple that gave Roanne some fresh air, 49-41, at halftime.

Lorbek dunked it right at the start of the fourth quarter and soon added a basket in the low post to get Lottomatica back in the game, 49-45. Salyers shined with a turnaround jumper while Pellin added a driving layup to keep Roanne out of trouble, 53-45. Hess had a huge block on Roberto Gabini and then had the play of the game with an incredible three-point game. Daniels kept pacing Lottomatica with a layup while Lorbek added an easy dunk to get the guests within 57-49. Badiane and Hawkins traded power layups, as Roanne kept a 60-51 edge midway through the third quarter. Pellin made free throws while Fucka and Badiane traded dunks for an 11-point Roanne edge, 64-53. Rush send the crowd to their feet with a corner triple while Hess scored inside to make Lottomatica call timeout at 69-53. Roanne kept following its game plan, with short possessions and outstanding ball circulation in which Pellin played a key role. Fucka tried to ignit the Lottomatica comeback with a close basket but Badiane kept rebounding well at both ends. He made free throws while Salyers nailed a corner triple to give Roanne a 20-point lead, 75-55. Free throws by Jon Stefanssson fixed the score at 75-57 after 30 minutes.

Lottomatica needed a quick comeback to get back in the game and tried to be more aggressive early in the fourth quarter. Daniels beat the shot clock buzzer with a reverse layup but the guests needed much more than that. Will Soliman banked in a close jumper that Daniels erased in the other end while Hawkins had a fast break layup to give Roma some hope, 78-63, with 7 minutes remaining. Rush stepped up with a corner three-pointer and soon added a six-meter jumper to restore a 20-point Roanne lead, 83-63. Hawkins made free throws but Rush bettered it with a triple in transition. The guests called timeout but the outcome was already clear, as Roanne stayed focused and kept going to the foul line often. Salyers provided a highlight with an outstanding fast break dunk while Rush added a fast break layup that broke the game open, 91-65, with less than 4 minutes to go. Rush capped a 10-0 run with free throws before receiving a standing ovation when he head to the bench. Everything was said and done, as Roanne rejoined the Top 16 race while Lottomatica needs to be strong at home in order to survive.