Black Star Mersch edged Black Frogs Schieren 80-75 in Schieren to tighten the Tour montée table, climbing to 5th (+1) while the Frogs slip to 4th (-1). It was tight throughout: 19-19 after the first, a one-point BSM lead at the break, and only a two-point gap entering the last quarter.
The game swung on runs. Schieren opened 7-0 before Mersch immediately answered 7-0. In Q2, Gabriel Solomon (PHL) caught fire with seven straight points to lift FRO 36-33, but Jérôme Besenius' late triple sent BSM to halftime up 43-42. After FRO surged to their biggest lead (52-45) on a 5-0 start to Q3, Mersch flipped the script with a 15-4 charge, powered by Donte Bezel Pope and Desean Hampton, to lead 60-58 after 30 minutes. Early in Q4 Hampton's three pushed it to 63-58, and BSM's largest margin came at 67-59. Schieren rallied to 72-71, yet Mersch replied with a 6-0 burst (Hampton-Vukovic-Hampton). Khyree Armstead's late three cut it to 75-77, but Vladimir Vukovic (35, BEL) scored inside and Hampton added the final free throw. In the closing seconds, Philippe Conte committed three quick fouls as FRO tried to extend the game.
Numbers tell the rest: BSM owned the paint (27/42, 64% 2P - good) and the glass (41-33), while FRO lived from deep (12/28, 43% 3P - good) but struggled inside (12/38, 32% 2P). Free throws hurt both (BSM 50%, FRO 62.5%).
Top performers
- Mersch (imports): Pope (31 pts, 9 reb, 5 stl; Season PPG: 32.0) was the game's MVP; Hampton (22 pts, 11 reb, 3 blk; Season PPG: 19.05, RPG: 9.30, AssPG: 4.38) posted a double-double; Vukovic (35, BEL) added 12 on an excellent 6/7 2P.
- Mersch (local core): Romain Dieterlen (5 pts) and Dean Gindt (4 pts) hit timely buckets.
- Schieren (imports): Eric Anderson (24 pts, 13 reb; Season PPG: 20.95, RPG: 9.91, AssPG: 2.96) and Armstead (17 pts, 11 reb; Season PPG: 17.55, RPG: 8.21, AssPG: 6.79) recorded double-doubles.
- Schieren (local core): Solomon poured 19 with an excellent 6/9 from three; Nemanja Mladenovic added 10 pts and 5 ast.
Under coach Goran Lukic, BSM closed better and snapped a mini slide (win after two losses), while Nigel Tolentino's Frogs are now on a two-game skid. Notably, it's BSM's first win over Schieren this season after two defeats in the qualification phase.
(AI generated)