BC Mess edged Bascharage Hedgehogs 89-86 in a tight opener of the Relégation round, decided at the free-throw line in the closing minute. Coach Stéphane Frentzel's team overturned a 32-25 first-quarter deficit with a 22-12 second period to lead 47-44 at halftime, then stretched it to their largest margin (+11) at 69-58 after three quarters. A third-quarter Unsportsmanlike foul on Malik Demirovic (BAS) proved costly, gifting points and momentum to the visitors.
Bascharage, coached by Dejan Pavlovic, roared back in the fourth: Veljko Dragasevic and Fabien Vandler hit from deep and a 77-76 lead briefly changed the game's tenor. Jamie Freymann answered with a personal streak from the stripe to swing it back to 83-77 for Mess, and in the final minute Deanthony Kendrick McCallum and Fabbri Bruno Zinédine Gauthier added key free throws to secure the win.
McCallum (27, 1.90m, USA) dominated with 36 points, attacking the rim at an excellent 71% on 2s and drawing 13 fouls. Gauthier added 18 on efficient shooting. Among the homegrown core, Pedrito Kemevuako (Season PPG: 4.06) stepped up with 10 and two triples, while Giovanni Kemevuako chipped in 7.
For Bascharage, Aziz Ndiaye (29, 2.03m, SEN) delivered a massive double-double: 25 points and 17 rebounds. Dragasevic backed him with 24, including 5/9 from three (good). Vandler poured in 15 and was instrumental in the late push before fouling out; Demirovic started hot with back-to-back threes in Q1 but later fouled out after a U2.
Team numbers tell the story: Mess shot well inside (21/39, 53.8% good) and from three (8/21, 38.1% good). Bascharage matched the long-range mark (10/27, 37.0% good) and dominated the glass (48 rebounds to 22) with 24 assists, but struggled at the line (10/18, 55.6%). Mess were only slightly better there (15/25, 60%) yet made enough late.
Mess start this phase atop the standings (1st, +1), while Bascharage slip to 4th (-3). After splitting in the qualifiers, Mess now lead the season series 2-1.
(AI generated)