THESSALONIKI (Baskeball Champions League) - 0 of 5. That is what Jordan Aboudou's three point shooting mark was before tonight's game, but his first make from beyond the arc couldn't have come at a better time.

Aboudou hit a crucial three pointer with 30 seconds remaining to give AS Monaco a four point cushion, as they held on for a 65-62 away win over Aris on Tuesday night.

Dee Bost and Yakuba Ouattara led Monaco with 13 points each, and Aboudou finished with nine points and seven rebounds as his squad climbed to 6-1, first place in Group A.

"For sure it's a big step," Aboudou said of moving into the top spot.

"Now we take every game, after every game. The objective is to win games and it starts by the defence."

Aris were dealt a blow when Eric Buckner left the game with an injury in the early stages of the third period, and from there AS Monaco took control of the glass.

Monaco Head Coach Mitrovic Zvezdan added:

"Tough game. I think in the second half when we start to control the rebounding then of course; the injury of Buckner is a big handicap for Aris and we used this, controlled the rebounding and make a good result.

"Every game is important. Psychologically it was a great game because it show we can play on a higher level in the Basketball Champions League."

Buckner's departure initially seemed to spark Aris, who reeled off a little run, but Monaco kept on chipping away, with multiple lead changes in the third period.

Monaco held their lead the entirety of the fourth quarter until a Will Cummings two tied it at 61 with under two minutes remaining, setting up Aboudou's heroics.

For Aris, the game marked their third straight defeat as they dropped to 4-3. Vlado Jankovic had a solid 15 points and 12 rebounds in the loss, whilst Michael Jenkins finished with 20 points to lead all scorers.