Sparta Bertrange, 2nd after a gain of five places, beat league leader Etzella Ettelbruck 77-56 in a game that stayed close for a half before turning sharply after the break.
Etzella opened slightly better and led 13-10, but Sparta answered with a strong first-quarter finish and moved ahead 27-23. The visitors stayed in touch in the second period, mainly through Travis Michael Henson (ETZ) and Deantoni Isaiah Gordon (ETZ), and the gap was only 41-35 at halftime. A key stretch came at the end of the half when Jarvis Terrill Williams (36, 1.98m, USA) scored 6 Sparta points in a row.
The decisive moment was the start of the third quarter. Karl Abou Khalil's team produced a 10-0 run from 41-35 to 51-35, with Yannick Verbeelen (SPA), Avelon Luke John Jr (30, 2.02m, USA) and Max Logelin (SPA) all involved. Sparta won that quarter 20-6 and never let Etzella return. The biggest lead reached 25 points at 72-47 in the fourth.
Sparta's advantage came less from field accuracy than from control of the game: 50 rebounds to 28, and 29 free throws attempted against 10. Sparta shot a good 75.9% at the line; Etzella was also good there at 80.0%, but on much lower volume. From the field, both teams struggled: Sparta 43.2% on 2-pointers and 24.1% on 3-pointers, Etzella 42.9% and 16.7%.
MVP Avelon Luke John Jr (30, 2.02m, USA) led Sparta with 17 points and a double-double of 15 rebounds. Logelin added 17 points and 7 assists, Williams had 16 points with an excellent 12/12 at the line, while Verbeelen scored 12 and Victor Stein added 9.
For Etzella, Henson finished with 19 points, including an excellent 5/5 on free throws and a good 2/5 from deep. Gordon added 15 points on 7/10 inside, while captain Philippe Gutenkauf (ETZ) scored 6 and Marvin Delgado dos Santos (ETZ) had 7. The loss ended Etzella's two-game winning run.
(AI generated)