Chalon lost ground on the top two with a 73-65 loss against Gravelines in the big clash of the day in the French league. Juby Johnson registered 18 points and 7 rebounds as Gravelines moves up to fourth place as Roanne lost in Poitiers. Nancy cruised past Strasbourg 88-61 behind 18 points apiece from Willie Deane and Kenny Grant, and becomes Cholet’s main contender for the regular season title. The French champions did the job against Hyères-Toulon 78-68 with Sammy Mejia scoring 19 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 8 assiststo keep a two-win advantage at the top. Orleans registered a crucial victory over Le Havre 69-68 to keep its hopes of a playoff spot alive, while Pau missed a great opportunity to enter the top 8 by crashing at Vichy 79-68.