VEF Riga prevailed at the end of a thriller in Le Mans to beat the host side 67-69 and clinch second place in Group C and with it a spot in the Eurocup Last 16. The loss ended Le Mans’s season. The hosts led by 2 in the final minute thanks to a heroic effort by Khalid El-Amin, but Riga scored the game’s final two baskets to secure the victory. Riga improved to 3-3 and will face Bilbao Basket, Valencia Basket and CEZ Nymburk in Group J of the Last 16. Kristaps Janicenoks paced the Riga attack with 18 points and E.J Rowland and Dairis Bertans added 12 points apiece, while Kaspars Berzins contributed 10 rebounds. El-Amin totaled 24 points and 8 assists and J.P Batista added 16 points in defeat.

The game was close from the start with neither team leading by more than 2 points in the first five minutes before an El-Amin three-pointer put the hosts ahead 13-8. Amin extended the lead to 7. Arturs Strelniks connected from downtown to narrow the deficit. Rowland added free throws and then dished to Kaspars Berzins for a slam that evened the score at 17-17 through 10 minutes. Pape Sy managed to give the hosts a 25-21 edge early in the second quarter, but Strelnieks countered with a three-pointer and then Janicenoks hit another to put Riga on top. A slam by Sy gave the hosts a two-possession lead and Batista extended it to 36-31. A basket-plus-foul converted by Will Daniels drew Riga within 36-34 at the break.

Le Mans retained a slim lead for the first five minutes of the third quarter until Janicenoks connected from behind the arc to lift Riga to 40-42. El-Amin promptly tied the game and put Le Mans back ahead with a basket-plus-foul. Free throws by Janicenoks and El-Amin caused the lead to switch hands twice more. Bertans put the visitors up with his second triple, but after Cuthbert Victor tied the game, El-Amin ended the third quarter with a three to make it 50-47. Cuthbert put the hosts up 5 on the first possession of the fourth quarter. Rowland scored twice to put VEF ahead 52-53. A thrilling few minutes saw El-Amin deliver assists to Batista and Victor to tie the game twice, but each time Riga answered. Berzins made it 58-62. El-Amin connected from the line and nailed a clutch three to keep his team within 63-65 with two minutes to go. Then Victor evened things from the line and El-Amin put Cholet ahead 67-65 with 51 seconds to go. Janicenoks tied it with 30 seconds remaining. Cholet held the ball, but Batista lost it near the end of the 24-second clock and Bertans raced downcourt for the game-winning layup. El-Amin tried to snatch a victory, but his last shot missed at the buzzer.