AS Monaco completed a grueling 48-hour double-header in the most emphatic way possible, grinding past Le Mans Sarthe Basket 87-83 at the Accor Arena on Saturday night to lift the Coupe de France Trophee Robert Busnel and move within touching distance of an unprecedented domestic grand slam.
Less than 24 hours after their EuroLeague play-in clash against Barcelona at home in the Principality, the Roca Team summoned the energy to outlast a ferocious Le Mans side in a pulsating final that was in the balance until the final seconds. Combined with the Supercoupe captured in September and the Leaders Cup won in February — also against Le Mans — Monaco now hold three of the four major French trophies with the Betclic Elite playoffs still to come.
Alpha Diallo (201-F-1997, college: Providence) delivered the decisive performance, scoring 21 points on a ruthlessly efficient 6-of-9 from the field while converting all eight of his free-throw attempts and grabbing five rebounds in just 25 minutes. Matthew Strazel (184-PG-2002) orchestrated the attack magnificently with 19 points and a game-high nine assists, going 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Mike James (185-PG-1990, college: Lamar), the veteran leader who has been carrying Monaco through an impossibly congested schedule, added 16 points on four three-pointers in 31 minutes despite the fatigue of back-to-back high-stakes games.
Monaco took early control with a 21-19 first quarter and then put together a dominant 24-10 second period to build a 45-29 halftime cushion that appeared to put the game beyond reach. But Le Mans, coached by Guillaume Vizade and appearing in their second consecutive Coupe de France final, mounted a ferocious second-half comeback. The Sarthois outscored Monaco 28-19 in the third quarter to claw back to within seven, and a 26-23 fourth-quarter edge brought them agonizingly close before Monaco's composure from the free-throw line sealed the deal.
Trevor Hudgins (181-PG-1999, college: NW Missouri St.) led Le Mans with 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, while TaShawn Thomas muscled his way to 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds — five on the offensive glass. Travante Williams (193-SF-1993, college: Alaska, agency: Inception Sports) added 14 points and six rebounds. But Le Mans' rally ultimately fell four points short, extending their Coupe de France drought to a decade — their last triumph in the competition came in 2016.
For Monaco, operating without injured stars Nikola Mirotic (208-PF-1991) and Daniel Theis (205-F/C-1992) and with head coach Vassilis Spanoulis and assistant Ilias Kantzouris still in enforced absence from the bench, the victory was a testament to the squad's remarkable depth and competitive resilience under acting coach Manuchar Markoishvili. The Roca Team's free-throw shooting proved the difference: Monaco went 21-of-22 from the charity stripe compared to Le Mans' returns, a margin that ultimately decided a tight contest.
The trophy is Monaco's second Coupe de France title after their 2023 triumph, and their third domestic honor of the 2025-26 season.