Musel Pikes controlled this qualification game from the opening minutes and beat AB Contern 74-64, staying second in the table at 2-0 while Contern are third at 1-1.
Contern started with a basket by Esmeralda Skrijelj, but Rouven Behnke's team answered immediately with 11 unanswered points and closed the first quarter 25-7. Early in the second period, Musel stretched the lead to 32-7, the biggest gap of the night. Ella Joy Gallatin (22, 1.78m, USA) and Magaly Sonja Meynadier (MUS) drove that phase, while Alexandra Weber (MUS) added timely perimeter shooting.
Fabienne Fuger's side reacted before halftime. Marah Kelli Dykstra (22, 1.88m, CAN) put Contern on a run with repeated scores inside and at the line, bringing the score back to 41-23 at the break. Contern then won the second half 41-33 and kept pushing. Lou Mathieu (CON) opened the third quarter with a three, and Dykstra stayed on a roll, but Musel answered through back-to-back Weber threes and another Meynadier burst to prevent a real momentum swing.
In the last quarter, Contern reduced the margin to 67-57, which made Musel answer with a 7-0 spell built around Myrielle Nadine Platte Behnke (MUS) and Meynadier. That sequence secured the game despite a final Contern push.
Dykstra was the game MVP with 33 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks, plus good shooting across the board: 8/9 free throws, 8/13 on 2-pointers and 3/6 from three. Gallatin answered with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, shooting a good 7/11 from 2-point range. Meynadier added 20 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Hannah Rose Stines (22, 1.81m, USA) gave Contern 13 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Musel also managed the ball better, with only 8 turnovers against Contern's 15.
(AI generated)