Roanne won 84-81 over visiting Brose Baskets Bamberg

Chorale Roanne registered its second consecutive win and rejoined the Top 16 race in Group C by edging Brose Baskets Bamberg 84-81 in Clermont Ferrand, France on Wednesday. Chorale improved to 3-5 and could tie for the fifth place at the end of this week. Meanwhile, Bamberg dropped to 1-7 and needs a major turnaround to keep its Top 16 dreams alive. Marc Salyers led the winners with 28 points, including 6 three-pointers in 7 tries, and 7 rebounds. Brion Rush added 25 points while Pape Badiane had 10 for Roanne. Steffen Hamann led Brose Baskets with 24 points on 4-for-4 triples and 4-for-4 free throws. Predrag Suput added 16 points while Chris Ensminger and Robert Garrett each had 12. Bamberg led for the better part of the game and managed to still be ahead 68-72 lead with 2 minutes remaining. Salyers stroke from downtown while Rush followed a dunk with a critical three-pointer to give Roanne a 78-76 edge. Even when Adam Hess, Marc-Antoine Pellin and Rush combined for 6-for-6 free throws in the final 21 seconds, Bamberg had a chance to tie it in the game's final possession, but Darren Fenn missed an off-balanced three-point shot at the buzzer.

Hamann got Bamberg going with an easy basket that Marc-Antoine Pellin matched with a reverse layup. Salyers added a three-pointer for a 5-2 Roanne lead, as the hosts tried to speed up the game tempo as much as possible. Predrag Suput stepped up with a triple for Bamberg, however, and then Fenn added a layup to push the guests in front, 5-7. Roanne did not find easy shots now while Suput buried his second triple to cap a 0-8 Bamberg run. Pellin answered with a long two-pointer but Bamberg kept dominating the game with its zone defense. Demond Greene stepped up with a fastbreak layup that Rush answered with free throws to make it 9-12. Salyers fired in his second three-pointer while Rush added a driving basket to tie the game at 14-14. A red hot Salyers sank a seven-meter bomb but Hamann buried back-to-back triples off a Bamberg timeout for a 17-20 lead. Salyers hit 4 of 4 free throws to put Roanne back ahead, 21-20, after 10 minutes.

Roanne improved its defense early in the second quarter and kept running its offense through Salyers. His offensive rebound allowed Pierric Poupet to give Roanne a 22-20 edge. Bamberg had been scoreless for more than 3 minutes now, while Rush sank a three-pointer. Bamberg opted to use twin point guards to find better shots and Hamann took over with a jump hook. Badiane found his first points on a tip-in, making Bamberg call timeout at 27-22. Garrett rescued the guests with a fast break layup that Poupet matched with foul shots. Suput shined with a big baseline jumper, as Roanne struggled to get its stars involved now. Poupet hit more free throws that Ensminger erased with a smooth reserve layup that Garrett followed with a driving basket to get Bamberg within 31-30. Ademola Okulaja had a big block on William Soliman, and then followed a tip-in with a fast break layup in a 0-6 run that Ensminger capped with free throws for a 33-36 Bamberg edge at halftime.

Rush stepped up with a big basket right after the break but Bamberg kept its momentum going. Okulaja quickly answered while Fenn added a three-point play to boost the guests' margin to 35-41. Badiane got Roanne going with a mid-range jumper while Salyers added a running three-pointer to get the hosts back in the game, 40-41. Suput shined with a reverse layup that Hamann followed with a fast break dunk. Salyers stepped up with a jump hook but Suput answered from downtown for a 42-48 Bamberg edge. Badiane and Pellin made free throws but Ensminger shined with a hook shot and added an alleyoop layup to keep the guests ahead, 46-52. Rush sank back-to-back six-meter shots while Salyers made a free throw to get Roanne as close as 51-52. Ensminger kept pacing Bamberg with an up-and-under layup but Rush and Adam Hess buried respective triples to complete the hosts' comeback, 57-54. Hamann joined the three-point shootout to tie the game again, 57-57, after 30 minutes.

Garrett nailed a corner three-pointer to put Bamberg back ahead, 57-60. Hamann beat the shot clock with a layup that Rush erased with a tip-in while Salyers dunked it off a steal to get Roanne within 61-62. Garrett took over with another triple but Soliman stepped up with a power basket for a 63-65 Roanne deficit with over 4 minutes to go. Hamann stroke from downtown but Salyers sank an unbelievable three-pointer to get Roanne within 66-68. Badiane tied the game with free throws but Ensminger shined with another jump hook and Garrett added a power layup to give Bamberg a 68-72 edge with 2 minutes to go. Salyers sank his sixth triple and even when Hamann made free throws, Badiane hit a jumper for a 73-74 score. Rush dunked it off a steal to make Bamberg call timeout at 75-74. Okulaja made free throws but Rush made a critical triple for a 78-76 Roanne lead with 43 seconds remaining. Salyers had a huge block on Hamann while Hess made free throws, 80-76, with 21 seconds to go. Suput sank a triple with 11.6 seconds remaining, Pellin and Hamann traded free throws and Bamberg opted to foul on Rush, who did not miss for a 84-81 score with 6.4 seconds to go. Fenn managed to take a three-point shot that found nothing but rim, allowing all Chorale fans to keep dreaming on a Top 16 spot in Group C.