The Roca Team saw their EuroLeague campaign come to a painful end on home court after being comprehensively outplayed 105-82 by Olympiacos B.C., who completed a dominant 3-0 playoff sweep at Gaston Médecin on Tuesday, May 5.
Already trailing in the series after back-to-back defeats in Greece, Monaco entered Game 3 with no margin for error and an injury-hit squad that was stretched to breaking point. Missing Nikola Mirotić, Daniel Theis and Alpha Diallo, the Roca Team were effectively relying on an eight-man rotation against one of Europe’s deepest and most experienced sides.
For a brief spell, the Principality club gave the packed arena reason to believe. Mike James started aggressively, knocking down two early three-pointers as Monaco raced into a 10-3 lead. Matthew Strazel added pace and intensity, while Monaco’s defensive pressure initially disrupted Olympiacos’ rhythm. But the momentum shifted rapidly.
The Greek side responded with ruthless efficiency from long range, punishing Monaco’s missed shots and defensive lapses with a devastating run to close the opening quarter. Thomas Walkup and Kostas Papanikolaou caught fire from beyond the arc as Olympiacos turned an early deficit into a commanding advantage.
From there, Monaco spent the rest of the night chasing shadows. Evan Fournier, Alec Peters and Shaquielle McKissic repeatedly tore through Monaco’s defence, with Olympiacos producing a remarkable shooting display that steadily silenced the home crowd. Every Monaco mini-comeback was answered immediately by another wave of perimeter scoring from the visitors. By half-time, Olympiacos had already built a huge 61-40 lead and looked fully in control of both the game and the series.
To Monaco’s credit, the second half at least brought resistance. James attacked the basket more aggressively, while Jaron Blossomgame and Hayes battled hard inside to inject some energy back into the contest. Strazel, one of Monaco’s brightest performers on the night, sparked a brief flicker of hope with several tough baskets, including a four-point play that briefly reduced the deficit.
But every time Monaco threatened to build momentum, Olympiacos calmly reasserted control. Fournier continued to punish the hosts from deep, while Sasha Vezenkov and Nikola Milutinov controlled the interior battle. Monaco managed to win the third quarter narrowly, but the overall gap never truly looked recoverable.
As the final minutes ticked away, the reality settled in: Monaco’s European adventure was over, emphatically ended by a side that had looked superior across all three games of the series.
After the defeat, Terry Tarpey admitted the physical toll of competing with such a depleted squad, noting the challenge of matching Olympiacos’ depth over a full 40 minutes. Despite the disappointment, he insisted Monaco would now regroup and shift full focus towards their remaining objective — winning the French league title.
For the Roca Team, the EuroLeague dream is over for another season. The memories remain, but so too will the sense that injuries and fatigue ultimately left them unable to compete on equal terms when it mattered most.
