Sparta Bertrange B won this M-Coupe FLBB round of 16 game 63-55 against AS Soleuvre B, with the third quarter shaping the result.
The start was balanced. Soleuvre moved in front 11-5, helped by an early three from Julien Kuhn (SOLB), while Marcos Correia Moreira (25, 1.89m) opened the scoring from long range. Sparta then changed the rhythm late in the first quarter: Pol Schwartz (SPAB) and Pitt Koster (SPAB) led an 11-3 finish that turned an 8-12 deficit into a 16-14 lead.
Karl Abou Khalil's team extended that momentum at the start of the second period. Sparta scored 6 points in a row to reach 24-14, their first double-digit lead. AS Soleuvre B answered well through Mathis Guiot (SOLB), Tom Lahure (SOLB) and Charel Diedenhofen (SOLB), cutting the gap possession by possession until it was only 30-29 at the break.
The decisive moment came after halftime. From 34-31, Sparta produced a 15-2 run and opened the game's biggest lead at 49-33. Koster was on a real roll in that stretch, scoring 10 Sparta points in a row. That sequence gave the home side control of a quarter they won 19-6.
Soleuvre still made the finish interesting. Hervé Marie-Rose's side put together an 18-6 surge in the fourth quarter, with Lex Lahure (18, 1.76m), Guiot and Rafael Aguiar Sousa (SOLB) bringing the score back to 55-53. Sparta answered calmly, though: Schwartz and Koster combined to steady the game, and the home side closed on an 8-2 spell.
Schwartz and Koster both finished with 21 points for Sparta. Jules Wurth (SPAB) added 9 and Aurélien Vernaison (SPAB) 8. For Soleuvre, Tom Lahure scored 11, Lex Lahure 10, while Guiot and Diedenhofen each had 9.
(AI generated)