Arcus controlled BNP Parisbas 68-44 at lux gare, pulling away late after three competitive quarters. The visitors edged the first period 21-17 despite a strong opening by BNP, who leaned on Mohamed Cheikhrouhou's 12 first-quarter points. By halftime Arcus held a 33-26 lead, built on timely perimeter shots from Michail Kouris and Tony Martins.
The key swing came right after the break: Arcus opened the third quarter with a 10-0 run (Kouris 3, Georgios Vasilas inside, Kevin Breuskin from deep, Ioannis Pitropakis at the rim) to make it 43-26. BNP answered through Mendim Balaj and Gautier Marcoux to close the third at 46-36, still within reach.
In the fourth, Arcus shut the door. Kouris caught fire with four triples in the final period, and an 8-0 burst pushed the gap to 63-40. The highest lead reached 24 at the buzzer.
Arcus' perimeter was the difference: 12 made three-pointers to BNP's one (a 36-3 edge from long range). Kouris led all scorers with 28 points, including eight threes. Support came from Vasilas (10), Martins (8, two threes and two free throws) and Breuskin (8). For BNP, Cheikhrouhou finished with 18, Balaj added 10 and Marcoux 7. Fouls never tilted the game no disqualifications, and BNP's starters largely stayed on court.
Coach Luc Kirsch's group managed the tempo and spacing, using threes to stretch the floor, while Jérôme Vergendo's team battled but couldn't sustain scoring, producing just eight points in the final quarter.
(AI generated)