Basketball: Cholet brings down Bourg-en-Bresse

Cholet Basket returns to the eight qualifiers for the final phase after inflicting its first defeat at home since the end of November in Bourg-en-Bresse (80-78), under pressure at the top of the table from Nanterre, winner at Le Mans (89-76) Saturday on the occasion of the 25th day of Elite.

The Choletais (7th, 13 wins for 12 losses) and their strong winger Emmanuel Nzekwezi, author of a double-double (22 pts and 13 rebounds), extricate themselves with Saint-Quentin, winner of Blois (75-64) of a quartet which had the same record before this day.

The Bressans (3rd, 17/7) give Asvel, Sunday, the opportunity to take two wins ahead in the race for second place, and Paris (traveling to Dijon in the evening) to come back at their height.

They also see, in the race for 4th place (synonymous with home advantage in the quarter-finals), Nanterre (16/9) gaining ground after having authoritatively signed a third victory in a row on the road.

Carried by their pocket leader (1.73 m) Justin Bibbins (15 pts, 6 rebounds and 7 assists) and their three-point success (12/25), Pascal Donnadieu's players stunned in the third quarter (26-12, 26 at the end of this period) the Sarthois who are slipping dangerously.

At the bottom of the table, Roanne carried out the good operation for the first on the bench of Marc Berjoan, who replaced Jean-Denys Choulet this week: the Chorale won by one breath against Le Portel (84-83) , who had the winning ball at the buzzer, thanks in particular to the 29 pts of his recent recruit, the former great hope Sekou Doumbouya.

La Chorale takes advantage of the defeat of Blois to move up a place (16th) and return to the level of the first non-relegation place, Gravelines-Dunkerque (8/15), which welcomes Monaco on Sunday before traveling to Roanne during the next day. Limoges, for its part, retained its cushion of two successes on the waterline by dominating the red lantern Boulogne-Levallois (98-88).