US Heffingen beat Telstar Hesperange 56-46 in the Phase finale round-robin, overturning a six-point halftime deficit with a dominant second half. The game swung on a 14-3 third quarter from Heffingen: Amelia Joan Morton (AUS, 12) opened the half with two baskets, Mett Dostert followed, and Mex Steinmetz calmly tied it at the line before adding two more field goals. Dostert's late free throws closed the quarter at 45-40 for HEF after TEL had led 37-31 at the break.
Telstar had started brightly after a 0-5 hole, stringing together an 11-2 response. In the second period, Stanislaw Jan Kwasniewski (Season PPG: 11.25) caught fire with 14 points in the quarter, including two triples, pushing TEL ahead by as many as eight (35-27). Romas Degutis's timeout management slowed some HEF runs, but Andrej Gruskovnjak's side adjusted out of halftime and never looked back.
In the fourth, Martin Giordana (Season PPG: 9.18) briefly brought TEL within three from the stripe (42-45), yet HEF answered with a 6-0 push through Steinmetz and Tim Yeong-Jun Kass. Kwasniewski, who finished with 21, picked up two quick fouls early in the final quarter, and Telstar's offense stalled. A late three from Tao Raphaël Ozier-Lafontaine (Season PPG: 9.80) wasn't enough as HEF closed it out, reaching their largest lead at the horn (+10).
Top performers
- HEF: Steinmetz 16 (steady 10 after halftime; Season PPG: 25.08), Dostert 17 (timely free throws; Season PPG: 15.08), Morton 11 (impactful to start Q3; Season PPG: 5.17), Kass 10. Charlotte Poos (HEF) added points from the line in Q2.
- TEL: Kwasniewski 21 with 14 in Q2; Giordana 9; Ozier-Lafontaine 5.
Form and table impact
Heffingen snapped a three-game losing streak and move up to 4th (+1), while Telstar slip to 5th (-1) and are now on a three-game slide.
(AI generated)