Limoges beats Dijon 78-67, Tops French Pro A

Limoges CSP Elite cruised passed JDA Dijon Bourgogne at home, 78-67 to secure the top spot in the French Pro A league. Limoges and Strasbourg IG, which won its game against Cholet Basket the before, have identical 7-1 records. JSF Nanterre sits firmly in third position with their 6-2 slate.

The hosts had an excellent game once again and it appears that they have found their groove already this early into the season. They shot an excellent 50% from three-point range, sinking 11-of-22 shots from beyond the arc. They also out-hustled Dijon on the glass 36-23 rebounding margin. They established control of the game from the early going, setting themselves up with a small yet promising 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was when Limoges began to unload their bombs from downtown, as they consistently found the open man to the shots. Their starters accounted for nine of those 11 three-pointers. Limoges’ offense was solid and they shared the ball very well. They had double Dijon’s total assists for the game, 26 vs. 13. By the end of the first half, the home team’s lead ballooned to 14 points, 44-30.

After the halftime break, both teams stepped up their respective defenses. Dijon was able to limit Limoges to just 14 points for the quarter, but they answered in kind, and Dijon was only able to chip away three points from the host’s lead heading into the final frame. In the final period, offense flowed more freely on both sides, but Limoges was able to keep pace with their opponents to eventually come away with the important win.

Limoges’ Adrien Moerman led his team with a solid double-double, scoring a game-high 15 points, while grabbing 13 rebounds. Trent Plaisted added 13 points off the bench. Starters Nobel Boungou-Colo and Leo Westermann chipped 11 points each. Steven Gray led Dijon with 14 points, while Andre Harris and Erving Walker contributed 10 points apiece.

Gravelines is set to face Chalon on the 18th and they have a chance to catch with Nanterre in the standings, but for now both Limoges and Strasbourg IG appear to be the teams to beat in the league at this stage of the season.