Basket Esch overpowered Musel Pikes 79-49 in the 2nd Round, breaking the game open with a dominant second quarter and never looking back. After trailing 16-18 at the first break, Esch strung together a 6-0 start to Q2 and later a decisive 12-0 blast from 33-26 to 45-26, a swing that included two Musel timeouts by coach Marc Hahnemann. The hosts led 47-28 at halftime, controlled the third (16-12) and sealed it with a 16-9 fourth. The biggest lead reached +30 at the buzzer.
Eden Elizabeth Nibbelink (27, 1.80m) was irresistible: 26 points, 20 rebounds, 12/20 FG (11/17 on 2s, good), MVP of the night with 37 ranking points, and six straight points early in the fourth. Tatsiana Likhtarovich (37, 1.78m, BLR) added 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, including three consecutive free throws that flipped the lead at the start of Q2. Jovana Jaksic contributed 11 points and went a perfect 4/4 at the line (excellent). Among the locals, Kyra Coulon's 12 points and 7 rebounds steadied the hosts.
Team-wise, Vincent Gevrey's side lived in the paint: 55% on 2s (good) despite just 20% from deep, and a massive +20 on the glass (50-30), with 40 defensive rebounds that repeatedly fueled transition. Musel shot 37% on 2s and 16% from three, mitigating with 71% at the stripe.
For the visitors, Mackenzie Caroline Farmer (26, 1.88m, CAN) led with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Alexandra Weber was efficient inside (4/6 on 2s) for 8 points, 5 boards and 3 assists, while Julie Nilles chipped in 7, including a third-quarter three.
Roster composition mattered: Basket Esch lined up two professional players to Musel's one. In the standings, Esch sit 5th (7-8), Musel 6th (3-13). In this season's head-to-head, Esch now lead 2-1 after earlier results of 83-61 (home) and 70-72 (away).
(AI generated)