Poitiers clinches semi-final in overtime thriller
Poitiers punched their ticket to the Pro B finals, outlasting Nantes 88-79 in a decisive Game 3 semi-final that went to overtime. Holding a slim 39-44 lead at halftime, Poitiers surrendered the advantage as Nantes entered the fourth quarter ahead 56-55, only for the game to explode in the extra period. The visitors dominated overtime 16-7, securing the win and advancing to the next round. Despite shooting just 38% from the field (27/71) and a dismal 25% from deep (9/36), Poitiers leveraged a significant rebounding edge (50-42) and a superior 76% free-throw shooting performance. Imanol Prot paced Poitiers with 19 points and 7 rebounds, complemented by Kevin Harley's 13 points and 3 assists. Nantes' bench, which contributed a massive 50 points, including 14 from David Gassaud and 12 from Nathan Soliman, could not overcome the deficit, even with Jean-Fabrice Dossou's double-double effort of 13 points and 16 rebounds. Poitiers moves on to the finals, having clinched this best-of-three series 2-1.