Black Star Mersch C took a valuable 80-71 road win over T71 Dudelange C in the championship round. The season series between the teams is now 1-1, with both sides winning away from home. In the standings after this game, T71 is 4th and BSMC 7th, both moving up one place, and Mersch has now won four in a row.
T71 started better and led 19-16 after the first quarter. Alessandro Agostinucci (Season PPG: 3.15) gave early inside scoring, while Karim Chakir (Season PPG: 20.30) and Damian Bucin (T71C) kept the home side in front.
The game changed completely in the second quarter. Lisa Hilges' team won that period 30-10 and turned a 19-16 deficit into a 46-29 halftime lead. Yannick Beckers (Season PPG: 11.20) was decisive there, exploding for 18 points in the quarter. Mersch also produced a 12-0 run in the middle of that stretch, and the visitors' lead quickly became double digits.
T71 reacted well after the break. The home team cut the gap to 11 points at 37-48, mainly through Chakir, Ruben Melanda (Season PPG: 5.83) and Stefan Dahl (39, SWE). But Mersch answered again and pushed the margin to its highest point, 22, at 61-39 before T71 closed the third quarter better.
The last period became tense. After trailing 71-56, T71 produced an 11-0 run to get back to 71-67, with Bucin and Chakir leading the comeback. Mersch stayed composed: Steen Beckers (Season PPG: 11.10) stopped the run, and Beckers finished the game from the line.
Top scorers were Yannick Beckers with 36, Steen Beckers with 14 and Daniel Göhlhausen (Season PPG: 16.41) with 11 for BSMC. For T71, Chakir scored 27, Bucin added 17, Melanda 11 and Agostinucci 10.
(AI generated)