US Heffingen, now 5th in the standings, beat 6th-placed BBC East Side Pirates 51-43 in a game that stayed open for a long time.
Heffingen led 12-11 after the first quarter, but the Pirates had the better second period. After a 16-15 score, BEP produced a 9-0 run through Samantha Lizardo (BEP), Jenny Ferring (BEP) and Nina Schmit (BEP) to move ahead 24-16. Noémie Hengel (31, 1.70m) kept that momentum going, and the visitors reached an eight-point advantage before the break, 28-24.
The game changed in the third quarter. Coach Matias Nicolas Carol Lugones got an immediate reaction from his team, and Heffingen opened the half with seven unanswered points, turning 24-28 into 31-28. Vanessa Rausch (HEF) and Jill Bausch (HEF) set the tone in that sequence. Heffingen won the quarter 17-8 and reversed the game at 41-36.
The decisive stretch came early in the fourth. From 41-38, Heffingen scored seven points in a row to build its biggest lead at 47-38. East Side never came closer than seven after that.
Rausch (HEF) led all scorers with 16 points. Vanessa Di Bartolomeo (43) added 11, including 4 made free throws, and Anne Moecher (42, 1.68m) scored 6. For BEP, Schmit Nina (BEP) finished with 12 points but also foul trouble and fouled out late after two quick fouls in the last quarter. Hengel added 10 and Lizardo 5.
Heffingen opened its season with a win, while coach Jeff Steinmetz saw the Pirates take a second straight loss.
(AI generated)