Racing Luxembourg C edged BC Mess B 71-68 in a close M-Division 1 game and climbed to 2nd place (+1), while Mess B remained 10th. Racing are now on a six-game winning streak, and Mess B have lost five in a row. Racing also completed a 2-0 season sweep after the 94-66 win in the first meeting.
The game evolved in waves. Racing started with a 6-0 run and led 16-15 after the first quarter. In the second, Mess B turned the score around behind Maxime Sunnen (Season PPG: 21.14) and Fabbri Bruno Zinédine Gauthier (25, 1.86m, FRA), moving in front 26-22. Racing then produced a 12-2 response before halftime for a 35-30 lead, with Drini Manjani (Season PPG: 12.68) scoring 9 points in a row during that spell.
Racing reached the game's biggest lead at 48-37 in the third quarter. Guido Mori (Season PPG: 8.29), Edoardo Cappelli (Season PPG: 6.35) and Mathieu Delaplace (Season PPG: 8.92) were important in that sequence. Mess B stayed alive through Sunnen, Alexandre Caurla (Season PPG: 16.78) and Nikola Sarkovic (MESB), trimming the gap to 52-46.
The fourth quarter stayed tight. Mess B came back to 57-57 and later 65-64. Harri Hämäläinen (Season PPG: 9.57) then delivered Racing's last 6 points, including the final free throw for 71-68. Racing's main scorers were Manjani with 13, Mori and Cappelli with 12 each, and Hämäläinen with 9. For Mess B, Sunnen scored 21, Gauthier 20 and Caurla 15. Manjani fouled out late after picking up two quick fouls in succession in the third quarter, which made Racing's finish more demanding.
(AI generated)