Second-placed Musel Pikes controlled most of this Phase finale return game and beat third-placed T71 Dudelange 89-71, with no change in the standings. Musel also extended its current run to four wins in a row, while T71's four-game winning streak ended. It was Musel's fourth win over T71 this season.
The first quarter was still balanced. T71 briefly moved in front 6-3, but Musel answered through 14-year-old Zoé Freitas (Season PPG: 29.00) and captain Marie Gloden (Season PPG: 16.80). The home side closed the period ahead 26-20.
The game swung strongly in the second quarter. Under coach Majdi Anan, Musel pushed the pace and won the period 31-16. Freitas was on a real roll there, scoring 13 points in the quarter, while Gloden and Sonia Garcia Garcia, 14, ESP, kept the pressure on. From 28-24, Musel built the margin to 57-36 at halftime, their highest lead reaching 21 points.
T71 reacted well after the break. Ghalia Hatim (Season PPG: 6.53) brought energy and scoring, and T71 won the third quarter 23-15 to cut the gap to 72-59. Hatim then carried that momentum into the fourth with eight unanswered T71 points spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth, reducing the deficit to 72-63.
That was the key danger moment for Musel. After the timeout, Musel settled again: Freitas, Gloden and Garcia Garcia rebuilt the margin, and Lisa Kleuls (Season PPG: 8.31) hit the only three-pointer of the game late.
Freitas led all scorers with 38 points, far above her already high average. Gloden added 17, Garcia Garcia 15, and Musel had four players in double figures or close. For T71, Hatim finished with 20 and matched her season high, Marie Beffort Neuman (Season PPG: 11.00) scored 15, and Jana Dos Santos Dramicanin (Season PPG: 10.13) added 8. T71 also had to manage foul trouble, with Katarina Barbic (Season PPG: 11.30) fouling out in the third quarter.
(AI generated)