AB Contern B moved into the M-Coupe FLBB semifinals with a 72-62 win over Racing Luxembourg B, but the final margin came only after a tense fourth quarter.
Contern started sharply and led 6-0, then answered Racing's brief 12-11 edge with a 13-0 run to close the first quarter at 24-12. That stretch set the early tone, with Xavier Engel (38, CONB) and Ben Goergen (31, 1.90m, CONB) giving the home side control.
Racing reacted well in the second period. Edoardo Cappelli (34, ITA) changed the rhythm with 10 points, all in that quarter, and the visitors cut a 16-point deficit at 28-12 down to 38-37 by the break. Tom Muller's team kept that momentum into the third, when Emanuel Loncaric (26, 1.96m, HRV) tied the game at 40-40 and then pushed Racing in front. A three from Miguel Llevenes Martinez made it 50-46, but Contern stayed close and the game was level again at 52-52 entering the last quarter.
The decisive moment came after Racing, through Sofiane Amadou Bah (26, FRA), went ahead 62-60. From there, Contern finished on a 12-0 run to win a close game. Goergen and Engel steadied the offense, and Yann Besch (29, 1.81m, CONB) scored the last 5 points.
Engel led Contern with 20 points, Goergen added 19, Besch 14 and René Wolzfeld (35, 1.92m, CONB) 13. Racing was led by Loncaric with 20 points, Bah with 13, Cappelli with 10 and Drini Manjani (33, ALB) with 8. Under coach David Torres dos Santos, Contern's late control was the difference after Racing had erased almost the entire early gap.
(AI generated)