North Fox B left Dudelange with a 72-63 win after flipping the game in a pivotal third-quarter surge. T71 Dudelange C edged in front by halftime (35-34) thanks to steady work from Karim Chakir (Season PPG: 20.57) and the inside touch of Nevzat Dzudzevic (26, SCG). But the second half belonged to the visitors.
After T71C briefly stretched to 43-38, FOXB unleashed a 14-0 run that changed everything: Dozie Bowei (25, NGA) started it at the line and in the paint, Thomas Leclerc (22, FRA) drilled a three, and Fábio Samuel Mauricio Gomes (Season PPG: 12.8) capped it with 7 points in a row, including a triple. A Sébastien Schmitz (Season PPG: 14.83) three closed the quarter at 47-57, FOXB's largest lead (10).
T71C tried to punch back in the fourth. Ruben Melanda hit two threes in the final period, Chakir kept finding angles at the rim, and Dzudzevic added points at the stripe. Momentum stalled, though, with an unsportsmanlike foul on Aldin Kocan and two quick fouls on Charles-André Lys. Pol Linden (Season PPG: 6.5) steadied FOXB late with drives and free throws, and Bowei sealed it with another inside finish.
Top performers
- FOXB: Bowei (16), Leclerc (11; 22, FRA), Mauricio Gomes (12), Schmitz (12). Mathys Neves (Season PPG: 10.6) added timely buckets.
- T71C: Dzudzevic (19; 26, SCG), Chakir (12), Melanda Ruben (7), Stefan Andreas Dahl (8; 39, SWE).
Early details mattered, too: Francisco Villoldo Feijoo picked up two fouls in a row in Q1, and Dzudzevic absorbed a first-quarter technical before settling in as T71C's main scorer.
COACHES: Charel Linden's group managed the crucial stretch after the break; Yves Winandy's side couldn't quite erase the double-digit gap.
Context: FOXB complete a 2-0 sweep over T71C this season (72-65, 72-63) and jump to 1st place with a +3 ranking gain. T71C remain 3rd; this defeat stops their run of four straight wins.
(AI generated)