Arantia Larochette bounced back from a loss and jumped eight places to 1st after a 96-85 home win over Racing Luxembourg, now 4th. The game was decided through several momentum swings.
Racing opened better and led 12-4, with Malcolm Wesley Richardson (32, 1.86m, USA) scoring six straight points after Kley Cirikovic (RAC) had started the scoring. After an early timeout, coach Daniel Alves Brandao de Sousa saw ARA settle the game. Michael Esosa Imariagbe (24, 2.01m, USA) gave the hosts an inside anchor, and Larochette turned the first quarter around to 26-21.
The second period stayed close. Racing changed the rhythm with a 9-1 run to go from 21-26 to 30-27, then ARA replied for a 39-30 lead. Racing answered again with 10 unanswered points for 40-39, but Larochette edged halftime 49-46.
The key stretch came in the third. Vic Heuschling (ARA) and Joshua Robinson McClary (23, 1.89m, USA) pushed ARA to 65-54. Racing cut it to 69-63, but after Antunio Xavier Bivins (34, 1.99m, USA) was called for a flagrant foul, Noé Tibold (ARA) and Alan Genoud (ARA) converted a 5-0 sequence for 74-63. Early in the fourth, McClary led a 6-0 burst for the biggest lead, 80-66.
Imariagbe finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting an excellent 11/14 on 2-pointers. McClary added 22 points. Heuschling had 15 points on excellent shooting, 5/6 from two and 1/1 from three, with 7 rebounds. Edson Rafael De Sousa Silva (ARA) added 13 points on an excellent 6/8 from two.
For Racing, Richardson matched the top MVP mark with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, including excellent 5/5 on 2-pointers and 5/5 from the line. Bivins scored 32 points with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Racing hit 10 threes, but ARA controlled the paint and the glass: a good 31/50 on 2-pointers, 17 offensive rebounds, and a 44-26 overall rebounding edge.
(AI generated)