LNB: Strasbourg opens finals with big win

Game 1 of the best-of-five series in the French LNB Finals tipped off Wednesday night with the No. 2 seeded club in the league, Strasbourg, taking on No. 8 seeded, Nanterre. The contest was over not long after the opening tip as the hosts ran up a 34-point victory, 89:55, to send a very clear message as they prepare for Game 2, Strasbourg is looking to get this over quickly…

An audience of 6,195 showed up to the Rhenus Sport Arena for Game 1 to support their club in their pursuit of the 2013 LNB Finals Championship.

The road to the finals was a tough one for Nanterre, having to beat the No. 1 club in the LNB regular season, Gravelines-Dunkerque, in the first round and then squared off against the 2012 Finals champion Chalon-Saone. They’ve had a remarkable run through the playoffs, but Wednesday’s results might mean that their run is over.

Ricardo Greer dropped in 16 to lead the way for Strasbourg, shooting an impressive 6 for 6 from the floor and 4 for 4 at the line.

Strasbourg dominated the stat charts shooting 34 of 52 (65.4%) from the floor, while their guests only managed 19 of 55 (34.5%); 14 of 18 (77.8%) from the line, compared to 7 of 11 (63.6%); 29-17 on the glass.

The hosts jumped out to a 10-point lead after the first 10, outscoring Nanterre 23:13. The guests did have few moments of their own in the second frame, going on a 1:8 run to pull within three 24:21, but Strasbourg got control back shortly after and ran off eight unanswered to get up 32:21. From there, it was all SIG, as they concluded the first half with a 47:31 advantage at the break.

When the clubs hit the hardwood in the third quarter the home club continued extending their lead throughout the quarter, building their lead to over 20 early on and finishing with a 24-point margin, 74:47, heading into the final frame. Nanterre never put up a challenge as the game wound down, while SIG added another 10 to their advantage to put a wrap on Game 1 with a 34-point victory.

The clubs will play Game 2 at the Rhenus on Friday, with Game 3 set for Tuesday, June 4 in Nanterre.

Greer was game-high with 16 for Strasbourg. Alexis Ajinca, Jason Siggers, and John Shurna added 14 points each. Chris Warren was the only member on Nanterre’s team that scored in double figures, dropping in 14. David Lighty, and Johan Passave-Ducteil contributed 9 points each.