T71 Dudelange edged Sparta Bertrange 55-49 in a tight Championship Round contest, overturning a double-digit first-half deficit with a strong second-half response. Sparta, guided by coach Colin Braun, burst out 13-3 and led 15-8 after Q1, powered by Hanna Rotink's 11 first-quarter points. The visitors stretched it to 22-12 in Q2 before T71 trimmed it to 26-22 at the break.
Coach Yves Marchi's adjustments surfaced right after halftime. A 9-2 spurt pushed T71 ahead 31-30, their first lead of the game. The key swing came late in the third: Katarina Barbic (Season PPG: 12.07, HRV) buried three triples in the quarter, including back-to-back threes to close it at 42-38. T71's perimeter edge proved decisive: eight made threes to Sparta's two.
In the fourth, Matilde Pego Pinto (Season PPG: 8.08) added five quick points and T71 briefly led by 10 (52-42). Sparta rallied through Quineth Zaal (10) and captain Lilly Engels (11) to 52-49, but Jana Dos Santos Dramicanin (Season PPG: 11.00), 15 years old, hit the game-winning three in the final minute to settle it. Engels fouled out in the closing seconds.
T71's leaders: Barbic 14 (four threes), Dos Santos Dramicanin 14 (two threes), supported by Pego Pinto 7, Noémie Baur 6 and Marie Beffort Neuman 6. For Sparta, Rotink (Season PPG: 14.50) finished with 15 after her blistering start, Engels added 11, and Kleio Chatzinikoli (GRC; Season PPG: 5.57) 7.
Game evolution highlights
- Sparta's highest lead: +10 (3-13, Q1). T71's highest lead: +10 (52-42, Q4).
- Runs: T71 9-2 to take first lead in Q3; 11-4 to close Q3; Sparta 7-0 late in Q4 to get within one possession.
- Individual bursts: Barbic's late-Q3 back-to-back threes; Pego Pinto's five quick points in Q4.
T71, already winners 66-59 in Phase 1, take both meetings this season and move to the top of the Championship Round (rank 1, +1). Sparta sit 4th (+1) and their skid extends to three straight losses.
(AI generated)