Zesummen Aktiv (ZAK) edged Etzella Ettelbruck B (ETZB) 38-35 in Beggen after a tight finish, a result that lifts ZAK to first place in the Phase finale table (+5 in ranking gain), with ETZB now second. It also marks a welcome win for ZAK after a run of defeats in recent outings.
Game evolution: ETZB struck first with a 0-6 opening quarter behind Rica Karamaga and Lara Martins da Silva, then Jil Ries, and even pushed the gap to 0-8 early in the second through Morgane Babinyanga (18, BEL), their largest lead. ZAK responded via Anne Kipgen and two free throws from captain Lisa Martins to trim it to 10-14 at the half.
The third quarter belonged to ZAK's patience. Kipgen kept finding seams, and Helena Maria Meyer flipped the lead to 20-19 the hosts' first advantage before Ries replied; Kipgen then closed the period at 22-21. Early in the fourth, ZAK surged with a 10-2 spell (Kipgen, Laurence Kirchen, Meyer) to their biggest lead, 32-23. ETZB answered: Ries at the line for two in a row, then a 6-0 team run capped by Babinyanga's four straight points swung it to 34-35. In the decisive sequence, Kipgen hit the go-ahead basket (36-35) and Erin Entringer added the final layup (38-35). Coach Milton Alves Santos used two timeouts in the last quarter, while Coach Francine Muller-Malherbe's group executed late.
Top performers: For ZAK, Anne Kipgen (ZAK) powered the win with 20 points on 10 made two-pointers. Support came from Meyer (6), Kirchen (4), Manon Durbach (Season PPG: 4.0) with 2, and Martins (ZAK) calmly sank two free throws; Entringer (ZAK) sealed it. For ETZB, Jil Ries (ETZB) posted 17 (six two-pointers, five free throws), Babinyanga (Season PPG: 7.36) added 10 with a crucial late burst, while Martins da Silva (Season PPG: 2.38) and Karamaga (15, NLD) had 4 each.
Runs and moments: ETZB opened 8-0; ZAK's early-Q4 10-2 run built the platform. ETZB's late 6-0 surge briefly flipped the lead before Kipgen and Entringer delivered the winner.
(AI generated)
Zesummen Aktiv