NM1 Round 2 (Regular Season): Angers lose to Union Rennes

There were only 2 rounds played so far and it's still very beginning of the Regular Season in NM1. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The biggest surprise of round 2 in NM1 took place in Rennes where host Union Rennes beat Etoile Angers 84-76 on Friday evening. Rennes looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Angers' players. The best player for the winners was point guard Paul Billong (193-2001) who scored 19 points, 5 assists and 5 steals. Forward Ismael Cadiau (198-1998) chipped in 12 points and 8 rebounds. Union Rennes' coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Spanish center Victor Serrano (210-1989) produced a double-double by scoring 17 points and 16 rebounds for the guests. Etoile Angers will play next round against Les Sables trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Union Rennes will try to continue on its current victory against Challans on the road.
Lorient defeated Tours at home 81-65. American guard Michael Henry (198-1995, college: Buffalo St., agency: Haylett Sports) orchestrated the victory by scoring 20 points. Matthieu Robin contributed with 6 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists for the winners. Lorient's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. American guard Collin Turner (185-1995, college: Angelo St.) replied with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for Tours. Tours will play next round against Toulouse trying to get back on the winning streak. Lorient will try to continue on its current victory against Fougeres at home.
Vendee Challans recorded a loss on the court of Fougeres on Friday night. Visitors were defeated by Fougeres 91-77. Kevin Bichard scored 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners. Fougeres' coach Mathieu Lemercier used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Luka Nikolic responded with 21 points and 5 rebounds. Fougeres will meet Lorient on the road in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Vendee Challans will play against Rennes and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Rest of the games of round 2 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Tarbes-Lourdes defeated Pole France in a road game 89-71. Winless Toulouse was beaten by Poissy at home 83-90. Winless Vitre lost to Les Sables on the opponent's court 72-90. Quimper managed to outperform Levallois in a home game 73-70. Boulogne recorded a loss to Mulhouse on the road 95-91. Loon-Plage defeated Orchies on its own court 81-71. Winless SCABB lost to undefeated Berck in a road game 65-80. Lyon destroyed Feurs at home 76-55. Winless Avignon/Pontet unfortunately lost to Besancon on the opponent's court 85-91. Winless Charleville lost to undefeated Saint Vallier in a home game 92-104.
The best stats of 2nd round was 23 points and 8 rebounds by Nemanja Kovanusic of Charleville.

Group A

Pole France - Tarbes-Lourdes 71-89

But Pole France was not able to use a home court advantage and was defeated by the opponent from Tarbes 89-71 on Friday night. Tarbes-Lourdes forced 23 Pole France turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists. Naturalized Guyanese Mike Joseph (203-1994) scored 18 points and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and forward Niels Pharose (199-1999) chipped in 21 points during the contest. Nathan Soliman (204-2009) responded with 7 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and Noa Kouakou-Heugue (206-2007) scored 14 points. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Lourdes-Tarbes will meet at home Levallois in the next round. Pole France will play against Vitre and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Pole France: N.Kouakou-Heugue 14+4reb+1ast, J.Boulefaa 13+3reb+2ast, Y.Allard 10+1reb+2ast, N.Des Bordes 8+1reb+1ast, H.Moukouri 8+3reb, N.Soliman 7+7reb+5ast
Tarbes-Lourdes: N.Pharose 21+3reb+2ast, M.Joseph 18+7reb+2ast, M.Queta 16+6reb+2ast, T.McBride 12+1reb+2ast, J.Le Roux 8+4reb+4ast, M.Chambre 7+5reb+11ast

Lorient - Tours 81-65

Lorient defeated Tours at home 81-65. Lorient dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Tours' 28. Lorient forced 22 Tours turnovers. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. American guard Michael Henry (198-1995, college: Buffalo St., agency: Haylett Sports) orchestrated the victory by scoring 20 points. Guard Matthieu Robin (184-1992) contributed with 6 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists for the winners. Lorient's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. American guard Collin Turner (185-1995, college: Angelo St.) replied with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and power forward Fabien Paschal (205-1991) added 13 points and 5 rebounds in the effort for Tours. Five Tours players scored in double figures. Tours will play next round against Toulouse trying to get back on the winning streak. Lorient will try to continue on its current victory against Fougeres at home.
Top scorers:
Tours: C.Turner 16+5reb+4ast, F.Paschal 13+5reb+2ast, P.Drouault 10+5reb+3ast, H.Bequignon 10+2reb+4ast, B.Andre 10+4reb+1ast, T.Minfir 4+8reb+1ast
Lorient: M.Henry 20+2reb+3ast, K.Franceschi 16+5reb, B.Dohou 9+1ast, W.Williams 8+6reb+1ast, K.Mondesir 7+5reb+3ast, A.Sclear 6+4reb+1ast

Toulouse - Poissy 83-90

But Toulouse was not able to use a home court advantage and lost to the opponent from Poissy 90-83 on Friday night. Poissy dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Toulouse's 38. Angolan center Valdelicio Joaquim (208-1990, college: Hawaii) scored 28 points and 9 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and naturalized Angolan forward Melvyn Da Silva (198-1999) chipped in 19 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. Joaquim is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Guard Camille Jean (188-2002) responded with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and Jamaican-American forward Willesley Butler (203-1996, college: UAB) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 13 rebounds. Four Toulouse players scored in double figures. Poissy will meet at home Quimper in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Toulouse will play against Tours and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Toulouse: S.Mekdad 19+8reb, C.Jean 16+6reb+7ast, D.Ona Embo 15+3ast, W.Butler 14+13reb+1ast, Y.Imboua 7+6reb+2ast, T.Gottin 6+3reb+1ast
Poissy: V.Joaquim 28+9reb+2ast, M.Da Silva 19+6reb+1ast, S.Michineau 12+5reb+5ast, K.Cham 8+11reb, K.Closson 7+5reb+4ast, O.Yao-Delon 5+1reb+3ast

Fougeres - Challans 91-77

Vendee Challans recorded a loss on the court of Fougeres on Friday night. Visitors were defeated by Fougeres 91-77. Fougeres made 16-of-21 free shots (76.2 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Swingman Kevin Bichard (196-1986) scored 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and point guard Maxime Choplin (180-1992) chipped in 16 points during the contest. Four Fougeres players scored in double figures. Fougeres' coach Mathieu Lemercier used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Serbian-Montenegrin power forward Luka Nikolic (209-1994) responded with 21 points and 5 rebounds and point guard Jeremy Bichard (186-1990) scored 13 points. Fougeres will meet Lorient on the road in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Vendee Challans will play against Rennes and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Challans: L.Nikolic 21+5reb+3ast, J.Bichard 13+1reb+3ast, B.Jackson 13+1reb+1ast, A.Prugnieres 9+3reb, W.Racine 6+2reb+2ast, M.Diop 6+4reb+1ast
Fougeres: K.Bichard 22+7reb+4ast, M.Choplin 16+2reb+3ast, A.Thomas 11+3reb+5ast, C.Soumaoro 10+3reb+2ast, M.Lebrun 9+1reb+2ast, E.Koumba 8+1ast

Rennes - Angers 84-76

The biggest surprise of round 2 in NM1 took place in Rennes where host Union Rennes beat Etoile Angers 84-76 on Friday evening. Rennes looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Angers' players. The best player for the winners was point guard Paul Billong (193-2001) who scored 19 points, 5 assists and 5 steals. Forward Ismael Cadiau (198-1998) chipped in 12 points and 8 rebounds. Union Rennes' coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Spanish center Victor Serrano (210-1989) produced a double-double by scoring 17 points and 16 rebounds and forward Quentin Ruel (202-1999, agency: Octagon Europe) added 15 points and 9 rebounds respectively for the guests. Four Angers players scored in double figures. Etoile Angers will play next round against Les Sables trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Union Rennes will try to continue on its current victory against Challans on the road.
Top scorers:
Angers: V.Serrano 17+16reb, Q.Ruel 15+9reb+3ast, L.Veraghe 13+5reb+3ast, J.Ross 12+2reb+1ast, B.Oger 9+3reb+1ast, B.Mondesir 6+1reb+1ast
Rennes: P.Billong 19+4reb+5ast, I.Cadiau 12+8reb+1ast, K.Selebangue 10+1reb+4ast, M.Haidara 8+6reb+1ast, C.Sekou-Conde 8+2reb+3ast, R.Ekwakwe-Priso 8+3reb+1ast

Les Sables - Vitre 90-72

There was a minor upset in Les Sables-D'Ollone where Vitre was defeated by Les Sables 90-72 on Friday. Les Sables shot 60.7 percent from the field. They also forced 19 Vitre turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists. Naturalized Burkinabe swingman Joris Bado (193-1991) scored 25 points (on 9-of-10 shooting from the field) to lead the charge for the winners and American guard Branden Maughmer (190-1999, college: Morehead St., agency: Helping Ballers) chipped in 15 points and 5 assists during the contest. Birahima Sylla (199-2003) responded with 12 points and 4 assists and forward Sahel Mouhri (197-2004) scored 11 points. Four Vitre players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Les Sables will meet Angers on the road in the next round. Vitre will play against Pole France and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Vitre: B.Sylla 12+2reb+4ast, S.Hernandez 11, S.Mouhri 11+4reb+3ast, N.Calabre 10+3reb+4ast, E.Le Carour 10+1reb+1ast, Y.Mendy 8+5reb+1ast
Les Sables: J.Bado 25, B.Maughmer 15+4reb+5ast, J.Mipoka 11+3reb+2ast, L.Prolhac 10+6ast, C.Gassama 7+3reb+7ast, N.Goudou-Sinha 6+4ast

Quimper - Levallois 73-70

Quimper UJAP used a home court advantage and edged the opponent from Levallois 73-70 on Friday night. Serbian power forward Milan Milovanovic (207-1991, agency: 011 Sports) scored 12 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the charge for the winners and point guard Antoine Dudit (181-1997) chipped in 17 points and 4 assists during the contest. Power forward Christian Nelson (200-2000) responded with a double-double by scoring 13 points and 17 rebounds and point guard Kevin Thalien (190-1992) scored 12 points and 6 assists. Four Levallois players scored in double figures. Metropolitans' coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Quimper UJAP will meet Poissy on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Metropolitans will play against Tarbes-Lourdes and hope to win that game and get promotion back to the ProB just one year after relegation.
Top scorers:
Levallois: C.Nelson 13+17reb+1ast, K.Thalien 12+3reb+6ast, S.Stansbury 11+4reb, P.Clerence 10+1reb, S.Balayera 8+1ast, J.Garbin 7+2ast
Quimper: A.Wallez 18+4reb, A.Dudit 17+4reb+4ast, M.Milovanovic 12+9reb+6ast, N.Burrell 8+3reb+2ast, F.Loubaki 7, S.Mambangui 4+3reb+1ast

Group B

Mulhouse - Boulogne 95-91

There was a minor upset when SO Maritime Boulogne was defeated on the road by Mulhouse 95-91 on Friday. Mulhouse made 29-of-36 free shots (80.6 percent) during the game. Mulhouse outrebounded Boulogne 42-31 including 31 on the defensive glass. Mulhouse looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists. Power forward Vladimir Ilic (203-1999) scored 15 points and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and guard Fabio Milanese (192-2003) chipped in 10 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists during the contest. American guard Mika Adams-Woods (190-2000, college: St.Bonaventure) responded with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists and guard Jiyann Hyacinthe (187) scored 18 points. Four Mulhouse and five Boulogne players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Mulhouse will meet Le Havre on the road in the next round. SO Maritime Boulogne will play against Saint Vallier and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Boulogne: M.Adams-Woods 18+5reb+9ast, J.Hyacinthe 18+3reb+1ast, N.Kingue 13+3reb+3ast, G.Chathuant 11+5reb+2ast, V.Diallo 10+4reb+2ast, M.Nnah-Ndong 7+1reb+2ast
Mulhouse: T.Dary-Sagnes 20+1reb+2ast, V.Ilic 15+7reb+3ast, N.Pruitt 15+4reb+4ast, W.Gneze 11+1reb+1ast, F.Milanese 10+6reb+9ast, V.Mukuna 8+5reb+1ast

Loon-Plage - Orchies 81-71

Loon-Plage used a home court advantage and won against the opponent from Orchies 81-71 on Friday night. Matthias Flosse (210-1998) scored 15 points and 9 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American guard Jordan Robertson (190-1996, college: Colgate) chipped in 25 points during the contest. Robertson is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Guard Yanik Blanc (188-1999) responded with 19 points and DR Congolese forward Patrick Mwamba (201-1999, college: Loyola, IL, agency: Helping Ballers) scored 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Loon-Plage will meet at home Berck in the next round. Orchesien BC will play against Lyon and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Orchies: Y.Blanc 19+4reb+2ast, P.Mwamba 11+5reb+4ast, I.Mintogo 9+5reb, J.Burton 9+3reb+4ast, L.Rucklin 7+1reb+2ast, T.Hanquiez 6+7reb+2ast
Loon-Plage: J.Robertson 25+1reb+1ast, M.Flosse 15+9reb+3ast, H.Boumpoutou 10+3reb+1ast, H.Desseignet 9+5reb+4ast, Y.Nkombou 6+6reb+1ast, C.Peinte 6+1reb+1ast

Berck - SCABB 80-65

There was no surprise when Andrezieux was defeated on the road by Berck 80-65 on Saturday. Berck had a 27-16 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. Cuban power forward Grismay Paumier (204-1988) had a double-double by scoring 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American point guard Jalan McCloud (180-1995, college: ETSU, agency: Helping Ballers) chipped in 16 points, 6 assists and 4 steals during the contest. Forward Tom Hyenne (194-2000) responded with 15 points and 5 rebounds and Mali forward Mohamed Sidibe (196-2002) scored 12 points. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Berck will meet Loon-Plage on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Andrezieux will play against Charleville and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
SCABB: T.Hyenne 15+5reb+2ast, M.Sidibe 12+3reb+1ast, T.Bouteille 8+2reb+3ast, M.Montout 7+2reb+6ast, M.Sow 7+3reb, A.Alain 7+2reb+2ast
Berck: G.Paumier 17+11reb+1ast, J.McCloud 16+2reb+6ast, S.Plaucoste 14+4reb+3ast, M.Dadiet 9+1reb+5ast, A.Henocq 7+5reb, N.Vincennes 6+4reb+2ast

Lyon - Feurs 76-55

No shocking result in a game when Lyon smashed at home Feurs 76-55 on Friday. Lyon forced 20 Feurs turnovers. Forward Junior Zero (195-1997) scored 14 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Kevin Comblon (-2004) chipped in 15 points during the contest. Lyon's coach Philippe Herve felt very confident that he used entire bench and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Swingman Damien Archinard (196-1998) responded with 8 points and 6 assists and naturalized Mali center Moustapha Diarra (205-1987, college: USF) scored 9 points and 6 rebounds. Lyon will meet Orchies on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Feurs will play against Besancon and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Feurs: A.Spinali 9+3reb+1ast, M.Diarra 9+6reb+2ast, D.Archinard 8+3reb+6ast, D.Buskey 7+3reb+2ast, C.Nkaloulou 6+9reb, L.Pinon-Marin 6+2reb
Lyon: K.Comblon 15+4reb, J.Zero 14+5reb, N.Manet 14+1reb+2ast, A.Atamna 10, A.Martinez 7+2reb+8ast, T.Lambert 6+2reb

Besancon - Avignon/Pontet 91-85

Besancon used a home court advantage and won against the opponent from Avignon 91-85 on Saturday night. Besancon looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Luxembourg forward Ben Kovac (196-2000) scored 38 points (!!!) and 5 rebounds (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line) to lead the charge for the winners and Maltese-American forward Aaron Falzon (203-1996, college: Quinnipiac, agency: Interperformances) chipped in 17 points and 6 assists during the contest. DR Congolese-Belgian power forward Ruphin Kayembe (200-1992) responded with 21 points and 7 rebounds and point guard Mael Poiroux (180-1991) scored 16 points. Four Avignon/Pontet players scored in double figures. Avignon/Pontet's coach Joachim Duthe rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Besancon will meet Feurs on the road in the next round where they are favorite. Avignon/Pontet will play against Metz and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Avignon/Pontet: R.Kayembe 21+7reb+2ast, M.Poiroux 16+3reb+3ast, A.Sy 10+5reb+1ast, A.Rasolonjatovo 10+3reb, T.Rey 9+2reb+2ast, N.Yahiatene 6+1reb+2ast
Besancon: B.Kovac 38+5reb+1ast, A.Falzon 17+3reb+6ast, C.Jubenot 10+5reb+2ast, T.Boyer 8+4reb+1ast, Q.Hanck 5+2reb+6ast, C.Eliezer-Vanerot 4+2reb+3ast

Charleville - Saint Vallier 92-104

Very predictable result when Saint Vallier beat on the road Charleville-Mezieres 104-92 on Friday. Saint Vallier made 25-of-31 free shots (80.6 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. American point guard Jazzmarr Ferguson (185-1989, college: IU Southeast) scored 21 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Ugandan-American Deng Geu (203-1997, college: N.Texas) chipped in 19 points during the contest. Serbian-Montenegrin center Nemanja Kovanusic (204-1993) responded with 23 points and 8 rebounds and Johan Clet (190-1996) scored 20 points and 5 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Charleville-Mezieres' coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Saint Vallier will meet Boulogne in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Charleville-Mezieres will play against SCABB in Andrezieux and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Charleville: N.Kovanusic 23+8reb+2ast, J.Clet 20+1reb+5ast, R.Malonga 12+10reb+4ast, A.Auburtin 11+3reb, F.Davidson 11+2reb+2ast, J.Mkamba 8+5reb+3ast
Saint Vallier: J.Ferguson 21+5reb+1ast, J.Boucaud 20+1reb+4ast, D.Geu 19+3reb+3ast, S.Derradji 11+6reb+5ast, J.Degre 9+2reb+3ast, J.Cazenobe 8+8reb+6ast