Racing Luxembourg D took a close 67-62 home win over Amicale Steesel B and moved to 7th place at 1-0, with Amicale 8th at 0-1. The game was decided by control of the middle phases and a calm finish after late pressure.
Amicale scored first through Gil Majerus (AMIB), but Racing answered quickly and closed the opening quarter with a 14-5 run from 6-8 to 20-13. The home side then stretched the margin to 23-13 early in the second period, their highest lead at that stage. Amicale reacted well with a 14-5 push, cutting it to 28-27, mainly through Majerus, Bill Paul Fischer (AMIB) and Ken Konrath (AMIB). Racing still reached halftime in front, 34-29.
The third quarter was important. Racing opened it by going from 34-29 to 41-30, with Alexis Gumy (35, CHE) and André Pesch (43, 1.90m) setting the tone. Later the gap grew to 45-32, the game's largest lead at 13 points. Amicale stayed in contact thanks to Leon Oliver Wolf (28, DEU), Benni Reichling (31, 1.85m) and Majerus, but Racing kept a 53-44 edge after three.
Amicale made one more strong run in the fourth, opening with six straight points and later trimming the score to 63-62. That was the key moment. Racing did not give up the lead: Elele Marc Andre Akpeubi (26, CIV) scored inside for 65-62, and Gumy added the last two free throws.
Pesch led Racing with 21 points, including three 3-pointers, while Lan Horvat Kovac (28, SVN) added 17 and Gumy 14. For Amicale, Majerus produced 19 points, Reichling 11 and Konrath 9. A tense late sequence also included a flagrant foul on Gumy and a technical foul on Majerus.
(AI generated)