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Open LFB 2009: USO Mondeville firing past COB Calais Mondeville ended the 2-year losing streak at the Open LFB with a comfortable victory against Calais. Caroline Aubert marked her return to active basketball with 6 assists, her after-match comments as well as of top scorer Lenae Williams and Valeriya Berezhynska are after the game report at the bottom of the page.
The early exchange was scrappy with neither side finding their shots early on. However after two minutes of inactivity score wise the pace picked up. The two teams started to trade baskets and went level (10-10). The contest between Aurelie Cibert of Calais and Caroline Aubert became intense as they both tried to impose their authority in the game. The two players were taken off at the same time as both coaches gave some of their young players a chance to play. The lead changed five times during the course of the quarter with Calais winning the first period (25-17) with Lauren Neaves leading the score with 8 points. Hervé Coudray decided to give his young Mondeville players another run at the start of the second period. Calais maintained their hold on the game ( 28-21). Aubert started to run the show. Lenae Williams started to find her shots from beyond the arc for Mondeville to regain the lead (31-30) with a trey from Aubert with just over five minutes to play in the second quarter. For the first time in the match Calais appeared to lose their way. Mondeville took full advantage and increased their lead (46-34) at the interval with Williams on 17 points which included 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Mondeville continued to bombard Calais from beyond the arc as they stretched their lead (60-40) with just under six minutes to play in the third period. Cyril Sicsic called for a time-out as he looked for ways to stop Williams. Whatever he said it did not work because Esther Niamke found Willians open beyond the arc. Putnina decided to show that she can also hit three-pointers and fired in back to back threes from the top of the arc as Mondeville pushed further ahead (69-45). The two teams continued to trade three-pointers as the game dropped in intensity with Mondeville heading into the final quarter by 20 points (75-55). Mondeville went 8-from-8 from beyond the arc while Calais were also perfect with 4-of-4 during the third period. Joyce Cousseins-Smith from Calais was not ready to let the game go and was very active as her side tried to find a way back into the game. They outscored Mondeville (7-4) and force them to call for a time-out (62-79). Afterwards Mondeville regained control and ended the game as a contest (87-63). Sicsic decided to allow Léa Beaugendre and Mélanie Devaux from the Calais basketball academy to have some playtime. At the same time Mondeville also allowed Pauline Thizy, Fanny Cavallo, Touty Gandega and Niamke to finish the game. The Calais youngsters got on the score sheet from visits to the free-throw line. Mondeville went on to win (93-71) as Thizy scored in the paint at the buzzer. Open LFB: Game Statistics and play by play Standard LFB: Open LFB: Box Score You can watch the game here: Calais 71-93 Mondeville Open LFB Basket and the City 5 after-match comments 
Caroline Aubert said that it was never easy at the start of a new season especially at the Open LFB. She concluded that after losing in Paris in 2007 and 2008, they wanted to win this game and they got going, everything went well and everybody was happy.
Lenae Williams who is in her third season in France, said that to win at the Open LFB after defeats in previous years made the win special and in addition she shot the ball well. She likes the French league and is comfortable with her team. Valeriya Berezhynska was a late signing for Mondeville after the release of Brittany Miller. She explained how she came to join Mondeville, the coach and the chance to play in the EuroCup. As for the game, it was not bad for an opening but the team had to balance things out.
Lenae Williams
Valeriya Berezhynska's audio
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Open LFB 2009 picture credits: Womensbasketball-in-frannce.com Date created: 26 September 2009
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The first points of the match came from the free-throw line after 45 seconds of play with Aurélie Bonnan (right) giving Mondeville the lead (2-0) against Calais.
Aija Putnina on her début for Mondeville went into the break with 11 points. 
Lenae Williams (left) and Valeriya Berezhynska (right) had some words to say after the game.
