Sparta Bertrange controlled the second half and won 94-62 away against Racing Luxembourg, extending its winning streak to three games. Racing, coached by Hristo Stoykov, stayed in the game for a half before Sparta's depth and third-quarter surge decided it.
Racing started well and led 13-10 late in the first quarter after early baskets from Yair Portal Levav (16, 1.89m), Jorge Leocadio Botelho (RAC) and Simon Derwael-Thomsin (RAC). Sparta then answered with a 9-2 finish to move in front 19-15. The home side reacted strongly in the second quarter with 9 straight points, turning 15-19 into 24-19. That was Racing's best moment. Coach Christian Michael Wulff's team responded quickly: Sparta went from 24-27 to 36-28 by scoring 12 of the next 13 points and took control before halftime.
The decisive stretch came after the break. Sparta won the third quarter 33-18. After Racing had cut the gap to 32-39, Ari Marinosson (16, 1.99m) scored 8 points in a row inside, and Nikolaos Papanikolaou (17, 1.86m) kept the pressure on from mid-range and from three. The lead grew to 69-46 after three quarters and reached a game-high 32 points late on.
Portal Levav led Racing with 23 points, Derwael-Thomsin added 16, and Leocadio Botelho scored 15. Sparta had the more balanced attack: Papanikolaou finished with 20, Marinosson 18, Maximiliaan Flechtner (SPA) 15, Diego Maestro Varillas (SPA) 11 and Hugo Dubois (SPA) 9 on three made three-pointers. A major difference was bench production: Sparta got 55 points from non-starters, Racing only 8.
Racing also had recurring foul pressure on key players, with captain John Litt and Derwael-Thomsin both reaching four fouls, while Martin Cuesta Jaramillo picked up a technical foul early in the fourth.
(AI generated)
Racing Luxembourg