Vibball Luxembourg edged Nitia Bettembourg 75-71 at schoolint1 in a tight finish, completing a 2-0 sweep of the head-to-head (75-56 away in the first meeting). VBE controlled the first half with a solid 19-11 start and went to the locker room up 36-25. Cassian Matgen (13; Season PPG: 8.60) strung together a productive second quarter and Noah Marian Rudolf (16; Season PPG: 17.00) added a timely triple before the break.
The game tilted after halftime when Wesley Almeida (23; Season PPG: 15.22) sparked NIT with a personal 8-0 burst (2+3+3) to cut a 38-25 VBE lead the largest of the night down to 38-33. Owen Chen (18 off the bench; Season PPG: 19.11), steady from the line and mid-range, and Mathieu Ercolani (15; Season PPG: 18.75) kept the visitors within 50-44 after three.
The fourth quarter swung wildly. Rudolf drilled a big three for 65-57, but Nitia kept coming. Chen (19, CHN) chipped away, Maik Zhan scored inside, and Almeida nailed back-to-back threes to tie it 71-71 late, just after coach Mike Ricardo Mendes Araujo's timeout. In the clutch, Vibball went to Kouami Samuele Dogbonou (17; Season PPG: 15.10), who delivered the final four points in succession for 75-71. Coach Ildiko Vass's group closed with composure after NIT's 6-0 punch.
Top VBE contributors: Dogbonou 17, Rudolf 16, Matgen 13, Alexandru-Catalin Vlad 11 (Season PPG: 6.70), and Tudor-Andrei Achim 10 (18 years). For NIT: Almeida's 23 included five made threes, Chen added 18 as an impact reserve, and Ercolani 15.
VBE have now won two straight and climb to 2nd in the M-U22 N2 Qualification (+2). NIT sit 5th (+1) but their slide continues despite a spirited comeback.
(AI generated)