SLUC Nancy ends Spirou’s winning streak

SLUC Nancy ended a four game-losing streak and stopped Proximus Spirou Charleroi’s winning streak at three with an 81-86 victory on Tuesday in Belgium. Benjamin Sene led six Nancy scorers in double figures with a career-high 20 points and Derwin Kitchen added a double-double for the winners, who improved to 2-7. Nancy remains alive in the hunt for fourth place in Group C, but its chances would come to an end if ratiopharm Ulm beats CAI Zaragoza on Wednesday. Spirou fell to 3-6 and would also be eliminated with an Ulm victory. Randal Falker and James Bell combined for 9 points in a 0-11 third-quarter run that gave Nancy the lead for good. Jimmy Baron fueled Spirou’s late comeback, but Nancy was able to hold on. Andy Panko posted 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, Mickael Pietrus scored 14 wth 9 rebounds, Kitchen tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds, Bell added 12 points and Falker had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Nancy outrebounded Spirou 33-45. Billy Baron made 6-of-12 three-pointers for 26 points in defeat.

Mickael Pietrus set up Falker for the game’s first basket and his steal led to a Panko triple for a 0-5 Nancy start. After Maxime Gaudoux scored the first Spirou basket, Mickael Pietrus nailed a three and Ben Sene hit another to make it 5-11. Loic Schwartz connected from downtown to close the gap to 1, before Sene countered with a basket-plus-foul. Schwartz’s second triple put the hosts ahead 15-14. Bell scored 5 in a 0-8 push, before Sacha Massot made it 17-22 after 10 minutes. Jordan Heath’s basket-plus-foul a pair of Jimmy Baron free throws had Spirou back within 2. Kitchen scored Nancy’s next 7 points as the visitors took the lead to 24-31. Billy Baron knocked down a pair of triples to bring the hosts within 30-33. Panko and Baron swapped three-point shots and a Sene three made it 36-43 with a minute left in the half. Schwartz was fouled shooting a three and made the resulting foul shots and Seamus Boxley scored to bring the hosts within 41-43 at halftime.

Boxley tied it with the first basket of the second half and a Gaudoux triple put the hosts ahead 48-47. Alexandre Libert added the lead, but Nancy took over with 11 unanswered points – 5 from Bell and 4 from Falker to grab a 51-60 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter. Jimmy Baron and Gaudoux drew Spirou to 55-60 at the end of the quarter. Kitchen’s basket-plus-foul and Mickael Pietrus’s triple pushed the lead up to 9. Billy Baron and Kevin Tumba gave Spirou hope as the cut into the deficit. Another Billy Baron three-pointer made it 68-71, but Nancy reeled off the next 7 points thanks to 3 offensive rebounds and steals by Kitchen and Panko to claim a double-digit advantage. Billy Baron kept Spirou alive with a pair of threes to make it 74-79. Billy Baron continued to outgun the visitors, who missed several chances from the line in the final minute, but he missed his last two tries from downtown after Panko put Nancy up 81-86 and Nancy held on to win.