AB Contern opened the W-Enovos League qualification round with an 84-72 home win over Les Sangliers Wooltz and moved to first place, ahead of Wooltz in second.
Fabienne Fuger's team took control early. After Wooltz had briefly gone in front 4-3, Contern answered through Esmeralda Skrijelj, Hannah Rose Stines and Kyra Coulon, closing the first period 24-10. The gap grew in the second quarter: Contern went from 24-10 to 29-10, then reached halftime at 46-27.
The key stretch came just after the break. Contern pushed the lead to 53-31, their highest margin, before Wooltz produced its best sequence. Driven mainly by Da'Ja Green (27, 1.64m, USA), Wooltz went on a 13-0 run from 53-31 to 53-44, with Green scoring repeatedly and Abby Niehues adding free throws. That changed the rhythm of the game, and Wooltz won the second half 45-38, but never got closer than nine.
Contern's balance made the difference. Stines (22, 1.81m, USA) was close to a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists. Skrijelj (31, 1.78m) added 18 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, shooting an excellent 80% on 2-pointers and a good 37.5% from 3. Coulon (21, 1.81m) scored 13, while captain Lou Mathieu (31, 1.68m) hit 3 of 5 from deep for 11 points, an excellent 60% rate.
For Wooltz, Green was the game MVP with 37 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, plus excellent shooting from the line (8/8) and from 3-point range (6/9, 66.7%). Niehues (27, 1.86m, USA) supported with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Lena Hodzic added 13.
Team numbers also favored Contern: 51-37 on rebounds, including 22 offensive boards, 25 assists to 14, and only 7 turnovers. Both teams were excellent at the foul line, each shooting 100%.
(AI generated)