AB Contern, 5th before tip-off, answered T71 Dudelange's earlier 79-64 win in this phase with a 77-66 home success, levelling the season series at 1-1. It also stopped Contern's three-game losing run, while T71 slipped to a third straight defeat. After the game, T71 stayed 4th and Contern 5th, both on 9 classification points.
The game changed sharply after halftime. Contern led 19-17 after the 1st quarter, but Daniel Wolf's team controlled the 2nd and went to the break ahead 40-33, with an 11-point maximum lead at 40-29. Ivan Barbic (Season PPG: 11.33) and Noah Baseggio (Season PPG: 13.07) were central in that stretch.
The decisive sequence came in the 3rd quarter. T71 scored first for 42-33, then Jeff Bevilacqua's side responded with a 19-2 run to move in front 52-44. Max Muller (Season PPG: 38.53), a 13-year-old guard, was the major factor: he poured in 17 points in the quarter and finished with 37, including nine free throws made. Felix Zoller (Season PPG: 10.12) added 18, and Contern won the period 27-8.
T71 never fully recovered despite 19 points from the 13-year-old Croatian Barbic, 15 from captain Baseggio, and 9 from Tun Jungers (Season PPG: 3.94). Contern pushed the margin to 18 in the 4th quarter at 77-59 before T71 closed with the last four points.
(AI generated)