Etzella Ettelbruck edged Amicale Steesel 89-81 at Coque/Gymnase in the M-Loterie Nationale Cup semifinals, built on superior 2-point and free-throw efficiency and a composed fourth quarter.
Game flow
- Steesel started sharp as Malcolm Wesley Richardson (AMI) opened with five straight points (2+3) and Ashton Lee Sherrell (AMI) closed the first with a three for 22-20.
- Early in Q2, Jonas Theisen (29, 1.95m) and Richardson pushed AMI to 26-20, but Etzella answered with an 8-1 surge capped by Billy Ray McDaniel Jr (41, 1.96m, USA) from deep for 33-32. With Adrian Jermaine Delph (25, 1.95m, USA) aggressive off the dribble and steady free throws, ETZ flipped it to 41-43 at half.
- Q3 belonged to Delph and Philippe Gutenkauf (30, 1.83m). After 48-48, Etzella strung together a 7-0 run to 56-64, with Gutenkauf scoring five in a row, including a transition three. ETZ led 68-63 after three.
- In Q4, Theisen hit from deep and Sherrell scored inside to tie 68-68, but Nicholas Thomas Davis (24, 2.01m, USA) and McDaniel authored a 7-0 reply for 75-68. Richardson briefly reignited AMI with back-to-back threes (74-77), yet Frédéric Gutenkauf's corner triple stretched it to 83-76, and perfect late free throws from McDaniel and Philippe Gutenkauf closed it. Steesel's bench drew a technical on head coach Daniel Alves Brandao de Sousa in the final stretch.
Numbers that mattered
- Etzella won the paint and the line: 22/35 on 2s (63%) and 21/24 at the stripe (88% good), against AMI's 16/34 on 2s (47%) and 7/14 FTs (50%). Steesel's 14/38 from three (37% good) couldn't offset that, and AMI's 10 turnovers to ETZ's 5 proved costly.
Standouts
- Etzella: Delph poured in 26 points; Davis posted a 18-point, 14-rebound double-double; Philippe Gutenkauf added 22 points (8/8 FT, 6/8 2P) and 5 assists; McDaniel had 13 points, 8 boards.
- Steesel: Richardson delivered 21 points and 12 assists (7 rebounds); Sherrell produced 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a block; Alex Laurent (32, 1.98m) had 14 points, 8 rebounds; Ivor Noa Kuresevic (AMI) 11 points, 6 boards; Theisen 10 points.
Etzella's decisive 7-0 burst at 68-68 and late-game composure at the line were the game-winners in a close semifinal.
(AI generated)