Sparta Bertrange won a close Game 2 in Walferdange, 79-76, and this best-of-3 quarter-final is now tied 1-1.
Résidence started much better. Coach Rainer Kloss's team opened 13-3 and later 15-3, with John Clark Slajchert (Season PPG: 27.25, RPG: 5.14, AssPG: 3.72), Filip Vranjes (Season PPG: 10.88, RPG: 5.78, AssPG: 0.81) and Oliver Vujakovic (Season PPG: 14.82, RPG: 5.79, AssPG: 2.48) setting the tone. RES led 25-16 after one quarter and reached the game's highest lead at 31-20.
Sparta stayed close through Jarvis Terrill Williams (Season PPG: 22.82, RPG: 6.55, AssPG: 2.33) and Victor Chidi Iwuakor (Season PPG: 19.05, RPG: 9.69, AssPG: 1.31). Late in the second quarter, the visitors changed the rhythm. Around the unsportsmanlike foul on Vujakovic, Sparta put together a 16-4 run to go ahead 36-35 before Brendan T Bailey restored a 38-36 RES lead at halftime.
After RES made it 42-36 in the third, Sparta answered with a 16-3 surge, with Yannick Verbeelen and Max Logelin hitting from outside and Iwuakor finishing inside. That gave SPA a 52-45 edge, but Walferdange recovered to 54-54.
The decisive moment came after RES led 65-62 in the fourth. Sparta scored 10 points in a row for 72-65, with Williams repeatedly getting to the line. Walferdange still came back through Slajchert and Bailey, cutting it to 76-77, but Williams made the last two free throws.
Iwuakor was MVP with 17 points and 16 rebounds, Williams added 20 points and 10 fouls received, and Verbeelen scored 15 before fouling out. For RES, Slajchert had 23, Bailey (Season PPG: 22.50, RPG: 9.31, AssPG: 1.42) posted 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Vranjes shot an excellent 5/7 on 2-pointers. RES had good shooting on 2-pointers and free throws (26/39, 15/20), but only 3/26 from three. Sparta won the rebounding battle 41-26.
(AI generated)