The boys in red and white have so far enjoyed a perfect EuroCup season. AS Monaco welcomed Telenet Giants Antwerp to their home turf of Stade Louis II’s Salle Gaston Medecin on October 14, before blowing them out of the competition in a timely and brutal manner.
From tip-off, the Principality side got off on the right foot, extending their lead to 14-8. However, the visitors from Antwerp fought back. After a fair few successful free throws, the visitors eclipsed their hosts, but this lead was short-lived as Monaco’s Khadeen Carrington sank three consecutive three-pointers to bring the score up to 30-27 at the end of the first quarter. From there on out it was clear that Monaco had asserted themselves as the dominant side in what had so far seemed to be a balanced game.
Darral Willis punished Antwerp in the paint with 6 points before the visitors called a timeout in an attempt to slow their opponents flow, but this just wasn’t enough. Team captain Dee Bost nailed a three and Willis followed up with another lay-up to create a double-digit lead midway through the second quarter. Two Antwerp players, Smith and Faye, did everything they could to bring their team back but nevertheless the score stood at 51-41 at halftime.
The beginning of the first quarter saw Antwerp keep their fighting spirit up as they closed in on Monaco but this hope was proved false with a stellar scoring sequence by the red and whites. Marcus Knight was on a mission as his lay-ups and jump-shots frequently found the hoop with ease. Shortly thereafter, Bost took a shot from way downtown and scored with nothing but net to the cheers of the eager home supporters. However, the talking point of this match-up was Marcus Knight’s ability to slam dunk as the former Bundesliga MVP contributed considerably to Monaco’s display of dominance. Antwerp were held scoreless for 5 minutes, allowing the hosts to start the second quarter with a colossal 73-51 lead.
The tired visitors were unable to close the sizeable gap as they continued to struggle on both sides of the court and any chance of a comeback was promptly dismissed by the host’s pressing prowess. Before long, Antwerp’s ordeal was over and the score stood at a disproportionate 96-64 at the buzzer. Watch the game highlights below:
Monaco now remain unbeaten in the 7DAYS EuroCup and are level with Virtus Segafredo Bologna at the top of Group C. The Roca Team will continue their European campaign, away, against Bologna on October 21 and fans of the red and whites can rest assured that they will put up a fight. In the meantime, the Roca Team will face off against Elan Chalon, at home again, for a regular season match up on October 17, tickets can be bought here.
