Author of a match without, the BLMA fell heavily against Villeneuve d'Ascq and almost said goodbye to qualifying for the final

Romane Berniès was unable to do anything against the Villeneuved-Ascq collective. Midi Libre – Michael Esdourrubailh

In the semi-final first leg of the Women's League, the Gazelles lost heavily against the favorite Villeneuve-d’Ascq (64-95) and almost said goodbye to the play-offs.

A match without, a class of gap, a slap. We could talk about all this to discuss the BLMA's defeat against Villeneuve-d’Ascq (64-95) in the semi-final first leg of the Women's League.

Lattes-Montpellier may regret its first half and in particular its introductory quarter which almost jeopardized its chances all by itself.
First ten minutes where the BLMA was outclassed by the Northerners. The match started with a 6-0 in favor of Villeneuve-d’Ascq and the score quickly swelled in favor of the recent Euroleague finalists to reach 16 points difference at the end of the period (9-25, 10th).

Northern success

The collective of European vice-champions made the difference with eight scoring players in the first quarter. Shooting success behind the three-point line was also on the Villeneuvois side with a 5/11, much higher than Lattes-Montpellier's 0/8.

In the second quarter, the Gazelles still couldn't find the target with only 26.3% shooting success. On the other side of the floor, Smalls showed quite the opposite with 13 points including a 3/3 three-pointer.
Despite improving at the end of the first period with six consecutive points (22-47, 19th), the gap was still significant at half-time in favor of Villeneuve-d’Ascq (28-47, 20th) .

The technical sheet

BLMA: 64

Villeneuve-d’Ascq : 95

Sports Palace (Lattes).

Quarter time: 9-25, 19-22, 15-27, 21-21.

Referees: Boubert, Ait Bari, Soares.

BLMA:21 shots made out of 65, 13 free throws made out of 19, 31 rebounds, 16 assists, 9 steals, 1 block, 19 fouls, 13 lost balls.

Naigre (14 pts), Alston (15), Jenkins (7), Rabot (2), Touré (8), Linskens (5), Berniès (13), Djoko, Lokoka, Kakova, Brun , Caetano.

Villeneuve-d’Ascq : 33 shots made out of 64, 14 free throws made out of 16, 47 rebounds, 25 assists, 8 interceptions, 1 block, 19 fouls, 16 lost balls.

Zellous (3 pts), Smalls (23), Gueye (6), Heriaud (8), Mununga (2), Diaby (16), Hampton (12), Salaun (13), Lisowa Mbaka (12), Abraham.

Returning from the locker room, BLMA slowly returned to the game (34-49, 22nd) with an intensive recovery carried by the American Ameryst Alston (15 pts). The moment chosen by the Northerners and in particular by the French international Janelle Salaun to show their power and increase the score again with a 10-0 (34-59). While the pivot of Villeneuve-d’Ascq, Diaby continued his work inside (16 pts, 7 rebounds), Smalls (23 pts) and Salaun (13 pts) watered the hoop with success .

Still behind in score

The 30-point gap was even passed after another three-pointer (15 in total), this time by Lisowa Makani (39-69, 28th).
The last quarter looked like crossing the desert for the Héraultaises with a gap too large to manage and the Villeneuvoises still on the lookout.

C'est terminé à Montpellier

Véritable démonstration du leader de saison régulière qui a fait un grand pas vers la finale en s'imposant de 31 points à l'extérieur !!

Rejoignez-nous gratuitement en direct sur Sport en France pour une soirée #PlayoffsLFB exceptionnelle avec notre… pic.twitter.com/LJm9NhxkFU

— Sport en France (@sport_en_france) May 2, 2024

Caught on both sides of the floor by the intensity and aggressiveness displayed by Rachid Méziane's daughters, the BLMA did not exist in the match. As proof, the Gazelles never led in the match.
With this defeat, the Latto-Montpellier women are undoubtedly saying goodbye to their dreams of the championship final. They could have found the surprise Tarbes, already the winner of Bourges in the previous round, who took a slight advantage over Basket Landes during the first leg in the Hautes-Pyrénées prefecture.