AS Monaco defeated Olympiacos 75-65 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Friday night to clinch a historic berth in the EuroLeague Championship Game.
Mike James delivered a standout performance with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block as the Monegasques controlled the contest from the second quarter onward.
Alpha Diallo led Monaco in scoring with 22 points, while Jaron Blossomgame played a game-high 37 minutes, finishing with 12 points and 5 rebounds.
Monaco became the first French club to reach the EuroLeague final in the modern era, keeping Olympiacos from returning to the title game for the second straight year.
The Greek side saw its Final Four streak of heartbreaks extended to four despite a record-setting night from Evan Fournier, who poured in 31 points—the most in a semifinal this century.
Nigel Williams-Goss added 12 points, but Sasha Vezenkov was limited to 7 on 2-of-10 shooting.
Olympiacos opened strong, jumping to a 15-11 lead behind Vezenkov and Fournier, but Monaco responded with a 4-0 burst to tie it by the end of the first quarter.
Elie Okobo and Nick Calathes pushed Monaco ahead early in the second period before a back-and-forth stretch ended with James scoring five straight points to help build a 35-32 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Diallo and Blossomgame combined to give Monaco its first double-digit advantage at 52-40.
Fournier kept Olympiacos in it with nine points during a 11-5 run, but Monaco held a 57-51 lead going into the fourth.
Mam Jaiteh extended the margin with five quick points to open the final quarter, and James added a highlight-reel assist for a Jaiteh dunk to make it 70-58.
Despite a pair of late threes from Fournier, Diallo’s three-point play and a dunk off Fournier’s turnover sealed the result.
Monaco dominated the glass with a 41-33 rebounding edge and held Olympiacos to just 18.5% shooting from beyond the arc.
The French club now awaits either Real Madrid or Panathinaikos in Sunday’s EuroLeague Final.
