T71 Dudelange controlled the middle quarters and left Contern with a 92-76 home defeat in the qualification round. Contern actually burst out 6-0 behind three straight baskets from Joshua Ferguson, but T71 steadied to edge the first period 16-15 after Jimmie Taylor III's free throws.
The game flipped in the second quarter. Denell Stephens (40, USA) and Davide Grun put T71 in motion before Ivan Do Rosario Delgado took over with 9 points in the period, anchoring a 20-8 stretch from 18-20 to 26-40. T71 led 45-31 at the break and kept pressing after halftime: Mekhi Long, Taylor and Christopher Jack pushed the gap to 69-44 after three, and the visitors reached their largest lead at 44-71 early in the fourth. Contern's late 32-23 surge, fueled by Landon Lowder's shot-making and Ferguson inside, only trimmed the final margin.
Numbers tell the story inside. T71 shot 30/47 on twos (64%, good) to Contern's 24/44 (55%, good), dominated the glass 39-27 (9 offensive), and earned more free throws (27 to 19). Both teams struggled from three (T71 24%, Contern 25%). Contern moved the ball (22 assists) but couldn't match T71's paint efficiency.
Standouts:
- Contern: Ferguson (Season PPG: 19.0, RPG: 12.36, AssPG: 1.86) posted 25 points and 16 rebounds; Lowder (Season PPG: 23.4) added 30 points, including 4/9 from three (good) and 8/14 on twos.
- T71: Taylor III (Season PPG: 21.75) led with 20 points and drew 10 fouls (8/9 FT, good). Do Rosario Delgado (Season PPG: 10.33) delivered 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Long (Season PPG: 16.67) was highly efficient with 14 points on 5/6 twos (excellent), and Stephens added 12 on 6/7 twos (excellent). Finn Reisdorffer chipped in 10, with several fourth-quarter baskets.
Yves Defraigne's team seized the game with their second- and third-quarter control, while Anthony Tomba's side saw its tough run in the series continue after losing both meetings this season.
(AI generated)