For its debut in the 2022-23 Champions League, CSP Limoges lost 73-76 at home against the Spaniards of Manresa.
We now have to go back to May 10 to see a match won by Limoges in competition! Beaten in the last two games of the 2021-22 regular season then during its double confrontation with Dijon in the play-offs, then during the first three days of the 2022-23 season of Betclic Elite, the CSP lost on Tuesday on his Champions League debut. Opposed to the Spaniards of Manresa (a victory and a defeat in La Liga this season), Massimo Cancellieri’s men lost on the wire to Beaublanc: 73-76. The Limougeauds will be able to harbor regrets, because they led for a long time during this game. At the end of the first quarter, they led 22-16, having finished the quarter with a 9-3. Then they kept control throughout the second quarter, to return to the locker room leading 38-35. The third quarter ended on an identical scenario, with a CSP all the time in front, to finish at 54-51.
Limoges cracks at the start of the last quarter
But the Catalan club did not give up and went 12-0 over the last two quarters to lead 54-59. The gap increased to +7 (57-64) five minutes from the end. Then Limoges managed to pick up -1 at 59 seconds from the buzzer thanks to a long-range shot from Nicolas Lang (70-71). Tyson Perez and Nicolas Lang responded to three points (73-74 with 25 seconds remaining), but Giordano Bortolani managed his two free throws after the foul by Javontae Hawkins and it was Manresa who won, Darrin Govens having missed the three-point shot of the equaliser. Despite Nicolas Lang’s 19 points (4/9 at 3pts), Limoges began their European campaign with a defeat at home. We will have to recover in the next match, next week against Benfica. Remember that in this Champions League, each team plays six group matches, and the first is qualified for the second group stage, and the second and third for a best-of-three play-off to be held in January. Strasbourg and Dijon will make their debuts in the competition this Wednesday.
Limoges markers: Govens (14), Graves (9), Hawkins (9), Lang (19), Rodriguez (12), Schilling (10)
