Etzella Ettelbruck opened the qualification round with a 109-81 win at Kordall Steelers. The visitors took control after the first minutes. Kordall led 3-2 and 6-5, but Etzella answered through Deantoni Gordon (25, USA) and Philippe Gutenkauf (31, 1.83m) and closed the first quarter ahead 32-22.
Kordall stayed in contact in the second period. Selmin Muric (23, 1.95m) and Gerry Schuder Minden (19, 1.80m) helped cut the gap to 44-51, but Etzella reacted immediately. Gutenkauf hit from deep, Gordon kept finishing inside, and the lead was back to 66-52 at halftime.
The decisive moment came just after the break. After Muric scored for 54-66, Etzella produced 13 unanswered points to move to 79-54. Kordall replied with a 15-2 run, sparked by Malcolm Christie (23, 1.93m, CAN), but Etzella still won the third quarter and entered the last period up 91-70. From there, Gavin Love's team kept the margin above 19 and stretched it to a game-high 31.
Etzella's edge came from efficiency and control: 60.4% on 2-pointers, 38.5% on 3-pointers, 43 rebounds, 23 assists and only 6 turnovers. Gordon led with 27 points on 12/19 from 2-point range. Gutenkauf added 19 points and 8 assists, with an excellent 3/5 from three. Marvin Delgado dos Santos (17, 1.90m) had 14 points and 8 rebounds, Travis Henson (27, USA) finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, and Billy Ray McDaniel Jr (42, 1.96m, USA) gave 11 points with an excellent 3/5 from long range.
For Kordall, Christie scored 17 points with 7 assists and 5/10 from three. Blake Jones (24, 2.05m, AUS), the game MVP, posted 14 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. Muric also scored 14, while Schuder Minden and Dzenan Eco (20, 2.01m) were efficient near the basket.
(AI generated)