Lattes-Montpellier was severely beaten by Sopron (60-42) on Tuesday in Hungary in the quarter-final first leg of the Euroleague. The Héraultaises however keep a hope of qualification. They will host their opponent in the return match on Thursday. And, in case of victory, they will return to Hungary to play a support match there, on March 16th.
After a neck-and-neck first quarter (16-12 for Sopron), Lattes-Montpellier gradually gave in to a team used to playing in the Final Four of the Euroleague (finalist in 2018, then eliminated in the semi-finals in 2019 and 2021). At the break, the players coached by Valéry Demory trailed 36-22.
Epoupa muzzled by the defense of Sopron
In the second half, Lattes-Montpellier was never able to worry Sopron. The Hérault club was up to 19 points behind (44-25, 24th). The Hungarians relied on Serbian Jelena Brooks (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Bernadett Hatar (16 points, 8 rebounds) to win. In the Montpellier ranks, Mamignan Touré was the most effective, with 13 points. The leader Olivia Epoupa, on the other hand, was muzzled (three points and as many assists).
Lattes-Montpellier played the first Euroleague quarter-final in its history on Tuesday. Two years ago, the Héraultaises had reached this stage of the competition and should have faced the Russians from Ekaterinburg, but the competition had been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since Bourges in 2014, no French club has made it to the Final Four of the Women’s Euroleague.
