Goulding’s season ends, JLA reaches Grand Final

Written by Melbourne United Media 

Chris Goulding’s campaign with Paris Basketball has come to an end this morning following a loss to Victor Wembanyama and Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92.

The sharpshooter was inserted into the starting lineup for the must-win game and did not disappoint, sinking an early three to get Paris rolling.

Going up against a side filled with former NBL stars such as Barry Brown Jr, TaShawn Thomas and Hugo Besson, CG43 hustled hard, creating extra possessions for his teammates across the first half and drawing a third foul on Wembanyama before half-time.

To start the second half, Goulding put his scoring hat back on, draining a pair of triples to keep Paris within reach of taking the lead before the presumptive #1 Pick in the NBA Draft took over.

Wembanyama was near unstoppable inside the paint, helping Met 92 balloon its lead out to as many as 13 points with seven minutes remaining.

Not one to ever give up, Goulding pushed him side forward, helping Paris cut down the deficit before draining a massive three-pointer to draw his team within two points of tying the game with a minute remaining.

That would ultimately be as close as Paris would come, with Met 92 running away with a 93-85 victory, eliminating Goulding from postseason contention.

A few hours earlier, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr secured his spot in the Lebanese Basketball League Grand Final series.

JLA tallied 23 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in the 98-83 win over Beirut. Across the three-game sweep, he averaged 26 points and 10.3 rebounds.

The series victory sets up a clash with former NBL big-man and Australian Boomers center Duop Reath and his side, Riyadi.

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