US Heffingen controlled this M-U22 N2 qualification game from start to finish and won 91-30, a result that moved HEF up to 1st place (+3) while Nitia Bettembourg dropped to 3rd (-1).
The game was quickly shaped by Heffingen's defence and their ability to score in waves. After Bettembourg stayed close at 10-5, HEF closed the first quarter with a 7-0 run for 17-5. In the second period, NIT scored first, but Heffingen kept the rhythm through Danilo Hess (35, 1.90m), Ethan Steinmetz (18, 1.80m) and Gustavo Alves Novaes (18, 20), taking a 39-15 lead into halftime.
The key moment came just after the break. Heffingen opened the third quarter with 10 straight points, pushing the gap from 39-15 to 49-15, and the run kept growing. From there, HEF turned the game into a one-sided stretch, reaching 65-18 before Bettembourg scored again. The third quarter ended 29-4, and the highest lead reached 61 points.
Hess was the main difference-maker, with a huge third quarter and 35 points overall. Steinmetz added 18 on efficient interior scoring, while Alves Novaes also finished with 18 and gave HEF scoring variety from the line, inside and from three-point range. Tun Elcheroth (7) and Max Daems (6) supported a balanced home side for coach José Alberto Pais Costa.
For Bettembourg, Owen Chen (12, 1.76m) was the best offensive option, including two made threes, while captain Wesley Almeida (9, 20) had the team's other notable scoring stretch. NIT never found a sustained run after the opening minutes, and coach Bradley Gene Melton saw his team held to 5, 10, 4 and 11 points by quarter.
(AI generated)
US Heffingen