Bascharage Hedgehogs overpowered Nitia Bettembourg 91-60 in the M-Nationale 2 qualification round, completing a season double after the 92-55 win in the first meeting. The opening quarter was balanced (18-20), but the game turned decisively right after the break between periods: Bascharage opened the second quarter with a 15-0 run to 18-35, despite an early timeout by coach Bradley Gene Melton. Aziz Ndiaye strung together baskets in that stretch, and the visitors never looked back, peaking at a 35-point lead (56-91).
Bascharage's efficiency was the separator: good shooting percentages by definition at 64% on 2s (34/53) and 38% from three (6/16). Nitia struggled to 42% on 2s and 13% from three (4/31). Coach Nicolas Schaefer's side also ruled the glass (43 defensive rebounds) and moved the ball (26 assists).
Top performers stood out. Among the imports, Jeffrey Early Jr. (23 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast; USA) repeatedly scored in bursts, including a string of baskets early in Q4, while Ndiaye (21 pts, 13 reb, 4 blk; 2.03m, SEN) was dominant inside with an excellent 10/12 on 2s. Veljko Dragasevic (Season PPG: 14.67, RPG: 5.58, AssPG: 1.32) added 16 pts and 11 ast, and Fabien Vandler chipped in 13 pts.
For Nitia, the local core answered through Mathieu Ercolani (15 pts; Season % 1P: 60.7, 2P: 46.8, 3P: 55.6) and Christopher Teck (14 pts), while Badara Seck Faye contributed 10 inside. El Hadji Modou Thiam Diop battled on the boards (9 pts, 14 reb, 3 blk). A first-quarter technical on Daniel Prior Torralba punctuated a tense start for the hosts.
Context mattered too: Bascharage fielded one professional player to Nitia's none, a gap that often tilts N2 contests. Bascharage controlled both head-to-heads, winning by 37 and 31.
(AI generated)