Strasbourg — Roanne: 72:70, LNB

Strasbourg saw off Ronn 72:70 in a Ligue Nationale de Basket match on Thursday evening. The hosts held on for a two-point win at home, with the final score reflecting a game that went down to the wire. By then, the result had already shifted expectations for both sides.

Strasbourg pulled ahead on the boards with 34 rebounds to Ronn's 39, though the visitors dominated the offensive glass with 19 to 12. Ronn connected on 10 of 33 three-point attempts while Strasbourg managed 6 from 24. The home side earned 25 free throws from 31 attempts, which kept them within striking distance throughout.

We had Ronn on our side of the ledger at 63 per cent confidence, but the match refused to follow that logic. Ronn's recent form offered no comfort — a loss to Lyon-Villeurbanne and a narrow defeat to Antibes in their last two outings. They went for the jugular in the closing moments but could not find the finish.

Strasbourg remain eighth in the table after 30 games, sitting on 17 wins and 13 defeats. The gap between them and the teams above has not shifted, but the confidence of a home win matters in these tight contests. Ronn's away record will need to improve if they are to climb further.

The two-point margin tells only part of the story. Strasbourg's 11 turnovers compared to Ronn's 12 showed neither side could impose itself, and the game was decided in those final possessions. The table goes out of the window in these games, and tonight Strasbourg proved that point.