League leaders T71 Dudelange edged sixth-placed Sparta Bertrange 81-76 in a close Phase 1 game, extending their run to four straight wins, while Sparta stayed on a five-game losing streak.
Sparta started better under coach Yann Ewert. After trailing 0-2, the home side answered with a 10-0 burst and later built the game's biggest lead at 31-21 early in the second quarter. Anton Mercier (Season PPG: 17.60) and Alexander Hugo Bel Möller (Season PPG: 14.80) set the tone, and Sparta still held a 43-40 advantage at halftime.
The turning point came around the third quarter break. T71, coached by Sylvain Felten, went on a 9-0 run from 57-55 to 64-57, flipping the game after trailing for long stretches. Matteo Agostinucci (Season PPG: 24.00) was central to that surge and to the whole evening with 32 points, including 13 of T71's 19 points in the fourth quarter. Bo Wagner (Season PPG: 24.40) added 22 and gave T71 steady offensive production from the first period onward, while Pol Guedes (Season PPG: 12.14) scored 12 and hit important baskets in the second half.
Sparta fought back well. Bel Möller finished with 23, Mercier had 21, and William Scarsbrook (Season PPG: 12.60) scored 11. Rafael Ferreira (SPA) also gave useful support with 6 points. Sparta recovered from 57-64 to move ahead 71-70, but that momentum did not last. After T71's timeout, the visitors closed better, with Agostinucci and Wagner producing the decisive scores. T71's best lead was seven points, which shows how narrow the margin stayed almost all night.
(AI generated)