Musel Pikes edged Basket Esch 72-70 in Stadtbredimus, avenging the 61-83 loss from the first meeting. The game swung repeatedly. Esch burst to 0-8 and later a highest lead of +9 (18-27) early in the second quarter, fuelled by six straight points from Jovana Jaksic. Marc Hahnemann's team answered with a 19-8 run to the break (37-35). After Esch reclaimed a 52-54 edge through three quarters, the fourth turned dramatic: Musel went 59-55, then an unsportsmanlike foul (U2) on Mackenzie Caroline Farmer allowed Tatsiana Likhtarovich to hit two free throws and later a three for 65-67. Musel closed with a 7-0 burst Farmer inside, Julie Nilles from deep, and Farmer again to 72-67. Katia Jemming's late triple made it 72-70, but Musel held on.
Numbers told the story. Musel finished with good 2-point (56%, 20/36) and free-throw shooting (79%, 11/14), plus a 24-11 assist advantage. Esch countered with good free throws (85%, 11/13) and 3-point shooting (39%, 7/18) but struggled on twos (40%, 19/47), despite a 35-29 rebound edge (9 offensive).
Top performers
- Musel: Mackenzie Caroline Farmer (Season PPG: 17.8, RPG: 9.8, AssPG: 1.2) delivered 28 points, 9 rebounds, 10/11 FT and 3 blocks. Alexis Pomaika'i Pana (27, 1.75m, USA) logged 15 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals, while Anne Mreches (27, 1.76m) added 15, hitting 3/5 from three.
- Esch: Jovana Jaksic (Season PPG: 25.4, RPG: 7.9, AssPG: 2.6) had 24 points and 11 rebounds. Tatsiana Likhtarovich (Season PPG: 18.8, RPG: 5.0, AssPG: 5.0) scored 22 and strung together five consecutive points to flip the fourth-quarter lead. Jemming added 15 with three triples, including the late 72-70 shot.
Vincent Gevrey's team remains 5th (3-4), while Musel climb to 6th (2-6) and now ride a two-game streak after six straight losses.
(AI generated)