With 54 seconds left, Nancy still had the ball and a chance to catch Villeurbanne, who were leading 76-74. L’Est Républicain’s live coverage identifies this as one of SLUC’s last chances. On 25 October 2026, the Lorraine side eventually lost 78-74 at the Astroballe in Betclic Élite, after forty minutes without overtime. A four-point margin, but an ending worth examining possession by possession.
A game that stayed open
The match sheet published by Team France Basket gives the key figures: Nancy led 24-18 after ten minutes, before ASVEL went into the break ahead, 43-40. At the start of the fourth quarter, Villeurbanne’s lead was down to one point, 58-57. None of these intermediate scores meant the outcome could be considered settled.
BeBasket then describes two runs that changed the situation. At 65-65, ASVEL scored nine unanswered points to pull away to 74-65. Nancy replied with seven consecutive points to close the gap to 74-72. This comeback explains why the final score alone does not tell the whole story of the fourth quarter: SLUC first had to make up some of its deficit before it could aim to draw level.
The turnover, then the free throws
According to L’Est Républicain’s live coverage, Michael Weathers lost the ball with thirty seconds remaining, when Nancy had come back to within two points. Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada then made both free throws with 9.2 seconds left, taking the score to 78-74. Carlos Marshall’s three-point attempt missed. BeBasket’s account confirms this decisive sequence.
It would be reductive to sum up the whole defeat as the result of one individual play. These final possessions do, however, explain how the chance to get back into the game slipped away. Without video analysis, they do not tell us which team option should have been chosen.
A point to build on, not a moral victory
Carlos Marshall finished with 21 points and five assists, figures that match in the match sheet and BeBasket’s report. SLUC therefore had an important source of offence, but failed to convert its final opportunity.
For Nancy, the narrow scoreline is something to work on, not a substitute for a result. ASVEL remain unbeaten in the championship with five wins from five games, while SLUC remain on one win and four defeats, BeBasket notes. The challenge now is not just to stay in the game: it is to finish the possessions that make it possible to win.
