The genius of the Dijon leader and a dominance on the rebound offered a major victory to Dijonnais.
At the end of a tight match where the address was not really at stake for the 2 teams (Dijon shot at 47.8% and Nanterre at 42%), Nenad Markovic’s men were able to count on the genius of their attacking midfielder David Holston ( 23 pts, 5 rebs and 5 steps) as well as their dominance on the rebound (45 against 26 of which 17 offensive for Dijonnais) in search of the 4th victory in the championship.
The scenario of the first quarter perfectly reflects the film of this match. Indeed, during the latter Dijonnais and Nanterrois operate a crossover alternating control of the match. The locals strike first.
The Burgundian attack is perfectly controlled by a David Holston in pass-through mode who distributes several caviars to his companions who can calmly conclude near the circle. The Dijon leader is perfectly integrated into the scoring by his strong winger Markis McDuffie (13 points, 8 repeats and 1 pass).
However, the Parisians did not give up and managed to regain the advantage thanks to an insolent 3-point address. In fact, five of the guests’ 10 long-distance baskets are scored during the first 10 minutes. The guest side serial shooter is called Rion Brown (16 pts and 6 rebs) who manages to score 3 consecutive long-distance baskets. The 2 teams then leave back to back at the end of this first quarter (23-23).
In the second act, David Holston decides to speed things up. The Dijonnais captain leaves the opposing defense with no solution to stop him.
The American leader multiplies the baskets to 3 points or in penetration near the circle. The players of the JDA thus manage to widen the gap by 11 points with 3 minutes from the interval (40-29). However, as usual, the Dijonnais will experience a penchant before returning to the locker room. The guests manage to inflict a 12 to 0, relying on the duo Vanwjin (16 pt, 5 reb and 1 step) and Pinault (11 pt, 4 reb and 2 step), and in the interval they take the lead (42- 43).
In the second half, Dijonnais puts the Paris defense under pressure again. The Burgundians rely on the dominance of their pivot Gavin Ware (14 pt and 3 rib) to undermine the opponent’s racket by chaining the baskets close to the circle. The locals fly in this third quarter and manage to build a 6-point cushion before the game starts (63-57), but Dijonnais will still offer the audience a tense finish.
The JDA players still manage to manage the last quarter by relying on an aggressive defense close to the circle that allows them to block access to the basket and capture defensive rebounds.
Nenad Markovic’s men even manage to increase their lead by 8 points with 1 minute and 30 from the end of the match. However, the Burgundians will suffer 5 points in less than 12 seconds. The Nanterrois therefore return to 3 small points 1 min from the end of the match.
The ball is in Dijon’s hands. David Holston grabs the ball and attempts a 3-point shot that will be missed. The offensive rebound is captured by Jacques Alingue who returns the wave motion to its leader.
The Dijon captain stares at the clock, waits for the last few seconds of ball possession to send a great 3-point shot, on the head of his defender, and get to explode the decibel level inside the Palais des Sports. There are 25 seconds left in the game, Nantes are eliminated, David Holston has just given the victory to his team.
The Dijonnais therefore has the second consecutive success in the league. Coach Markovic’s players can be satisfied with having managed to overturn the dynamics of the end of the game on the right wing and above all thank the genius and the coldness of their captain who, at the dawn of his 36th birthday, continues to wallow on the floors of the talent of he.
ML
JDA Dijon wins against Nanterre 79 to 71 (23-23, 19-20, 21-14, 16-14)
JDA Dijon : Holston (23) / Brembly (2) / McDuffie (13) / Alingue (4) / Rousselle (2) / Simon (10) / Loum () / Ducoté (5) / Hrovat (6) / Ware (14)
Nanterre 92 : Bibbins (4) / Brown (16) / Hornsby (8) / Vanwijn (16) / Sene (5) / Pinault (11) / N’Diaye (7) / Dussoulier (4)
Steps:
JDA Dijon: Holston (5) / Rousselle (2) / Hrovat (4)
Nanterre 92: Bibbins (9) / Hornsby (3) / Pinault (2)
bounces:
– JDA Dijon: Hrovat (6) / McDuffie (8) / Alingue (6)
– Nanterre 92: Pinault (4) / Vanwjin (5) / Brown (6)
