After two losses in the league, Le Poinçonnet finally overcame Martigues on Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Limoges, securing a spot in the French Cup Trophy semifinals, set to take place at the same venue on Sunday against Monaco. This victory has a name: LeLe Grissett, who scored an incredible 43 points (!) and made the game-winning steal.
Le Poinçonnet (NF1): 69
Martigues (NF1): 67
Just as she finished her demolition job, she was told the full extent of her performance. “What? I scored 43 points?!” LeLe Grissett was in disbelief. Amidst the heat of the action and the joy of victory, the American star hadn’t fully realized the magnitude of her game against Martigues. To put it bluntly, such a performance is extremely rare in women’s basketball at this level of competition.
Let’s break it down:
Grissett had 12 points at the end of the first quarter, 23 at halftime, 34 after three quarters, and an astonishing 43 at the final buzzer. She was unstoppable, unguardable, putting on a one-woman show that left the entire gym and her coach in awe. “Scoring 43 points is crazy, but LeLe doesn’t surprise me anymore. I believe she can play at the highest level, in the French Women's first league" said François Ménival.
"This might be the greatest game of my career. At least with Le Poinçonnet, it definitely is."
— LeLe Grissett, Poinçonnet Basket
Le Poinçonnet needed every single one of those 43 points to advance, scraping through with a narrow 69-67 victory in a tense game decided in the final moments. But Grissett didn’t just put points on the board—she made the decisive steal with 16 seconds left, as Martigues had the ball and trailed by just two (66-64)! “This might be the greatest game of my career, maybe. At least with Le Poinçonnet, it definitely is,” admitted the humble hero, who preferred to highlight the team’s collective effort. “We had already played Martigues twice this season, so we knew each other inside out. The team that wanted it more would win, and we brought that extra energy to make the difference,” said Grissett, who had already torched Martigues for 34 points two weeks ago in the league.
In this tightly contested battle, every single play by LeLe Grissett mattered. Every point, every steal, every block (she had two, including a crucial one with two minutes remaining), and every assist. Despite her scoring explosion, the reigning N1 MVP played unselfishly, which made her legendary performance on Saturday, March 15, 2025, even more remarkable.
A Shot at Redemption in 2022?
This game will be written in gold in Le Poinçonnet’s history book, as they now stand one win away from returning to Bercy, three years after their first-ever French Cup Trophy final. But standing in their way is the very team that crushed their dreams in 2022—Monaco BA, the current league leaders and strong contenders for promotion to Ligue 2.
On paper, the challenge seems nearly insurmountable. But let’s not forget that Le Poinçonnet has already pushed the powerhouse from Monaco to the brink this season. Plus, Monaco barely survived their own quarterfinal, escaping with a tight 80-75 win over NF2 side ALPCM Nantes.
The door for revenge might be more open than expected. And as LeLe Grissett herself put it:
"We want to go to Bercy so bad!"
Monaco now knows exactly who they’ll need to stop when the semifinal tips off on Sunday, March 16, 2025, at 3:30 PM in Limoges.
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Julia Borde (Martigues coach):
"Grissett? We didn’t make her life hard enough."
François Ménival (Le Poinçonnet coach):
"What’s great is that we won despite an average shooting night, especially from three (1-for-15). But we played the right way. We only allowed 67 points, which shows that we can win without great shooting if we defend well—even against a top team like Martigues. That said, we gave them too many second chances on rebounds. If we want to beat Monaco, ideally, the scoring should be more balanced, even though LeLe’s performance was incredible. Scoring 43 points is a lot!"
Julia Borde (Martigues coach):
"These do-or-die games often come down to small details, and tonight, those details favored Le Poinçonnet. We missed easy shots, made costly mistakes, and didn’t challenge Grissett enough. Two weeks ago, we defended her better—tonight, she was just on another level. When we had a small lead at the end of the third quarter, we failed to close the game. That let them come back with more energy. That’s how cup games go: they’re always intense. We gave it our all, but it didn’t go our way. Now, we have to focus on our league goal: fighting for second place."
These statements were collected by La Nouvelle République
French Cup: An Outstanding LeLe Grissett Sends Le Poinçonnet to the Semifinals