Musel Pikes, 3rd in the standings after this round, took a close 71-63 home win over 6th-placed Arantia Larochette after a strong second-half turnaround.
Arantia controlled the opening half. Daniel Alves Brandao de Sousa's team started 6-0, then answered Musel's brief 15-11 lead with a 7-0 finish to close the first quarter 18-15 ahead. The away side then built the game well in the second period: Musel came back to 23-22, but Arantia responded with a decisive 16-3 stretch and reached its highest lead at 38-25 before going into halftime up 38-26.
The game changed progressively after the break. Musel cut into the gap in the third quarter and stayed alive at 44-52. Even after a technical charged to coach Majdi Anan in that period, the home side kept its rhythm. The key sequence came early in the fourth: Musel opened with a 10-2 run to tie at 54-54, and after Arantia briefly moved in front 56-55, Geoffrey Schlammes (18) produced 7 points in a row to push Musel to 61-56. From there, the Pikes controlled the finish and closed on a 27-11 quarter.
Schlammes (18) led Musel with 22 points and was the main difference-maker in the comeback. Jason Hartz (19, 1.74m) added 19, with three 3-pointers and important late free throws, while Marko Mustafic (21, 1.88m, HRV) contributed 16. Raphaël Siebenaler (16, 1.84m) gave useful support with 7.
For Arantia, Noé Tibold (20, 1.98m) scored 19 and Mathis Dieterlen (18, 1.86m) had 18, including the opening 3-pointer and the late one that kept the game alive. Lee Brosius (18, 1.92m) added 10. Alan Genoud (21, 1.85m) and Luca Monteiro Delgado (19, 1.95m) both ended with 4 fouls, and Genoud picked up three fouls in the second half. Musel answered a loss with this win.
(AI generated)