Poitiers secured a 92-77 victory over Châlons-Reims in the Pro-B on Thursday evening. The hosts moved to 12th place after three games, collecting their first win of the campaign. Châlons-Reims dropped to a second loss and remain fifth on five points.
Both sides had been uneven of late. Poitiers had lost three of their previous four before the win over Nantes and the victory against Orléans. Châlons-Reims had shuffled results, beating Aix-Maurienne but falling to Denain-Voltaire twice. By then the pattern was familiar enough.
And here's the thing — we had called for the home side earlier, putting confidence at 58 per cent. It's not about being right, but the home court advantage in these tight Pro-B fixtures does tend to tell when the game tightens. Poitiers knew they needed to keep things simple and they didn't overcomplicate matters.
To be fair, neither team played with any urgency at times. Poitiers scored 92 points but that's not a statement in itself when you consider the defensive lapses on both ends. Châlons-Reims let the game slip when they needed to respond, and that's what separates these two sides at this stage.
The result keeps Poitiers in touch with the mid-table pack. Five points behind the leaders after three rounds is nothing to write home about, but it's a foundation. Châlons-Reims have work to do if they want to climb further, and the away form will need to improve.
