Rsidence Walferdange edged Racing Luxembourg 88-85 in a close qualification game at tramsschap/central. The visitors started sharper (22-17), but Racing, led by a dominant Antunio Xavier Bivins (33, 1.99m, USA), fought back to 39-39 at half-time. After Racing briefly led 45-39 and 52-48 in the third, Rsidence flipped the momentum with the long ball: John Clark Slajchert (25, 1.82m, USA) and Brendan T Bailey (28, 2.03m, USA) hit from deep, fueling a 14-5 close to the quarter for a 62-57 lead.
To open the fourth, Rsidence strung together an 8-0 run (Bailey 2 FT, Slajchert 3, more from the guard) to 67-57 and later reached the largest gap at 78-69 after another Bailey triple. Racing stayed alive through Bivins, who authored eight consecutive points for his team in the period, and Jeff Keller (23, 2.03m) drilled a late three for 84-85. In the final minute, Slajchert and Tom Schomer combined for three straight free throws to push it to 88-84, before Bivins split at the line for the final margin. Game winners in the clutch were Slajchert and Schomer at the stripe.
Bivins was immense: 38 points, 16 rebounds, 8-10 FT (good), 12-20 on 2P (good), 2-5 on 3P (good). Brendan Adam Temple (24, 2.06m, USA) added a double-double (15 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks). Steve Lanners (28, 1.90m) had 10 points, and Keller hit two threes, including the late one. Racing dominated the glass offensively (20-9 OR) and had 5 blocks, but shot 25% from three and 70% at the line.
For Rsidence, Filip Vranjes (26, 2.03m, HRV) delivered 26 points with excellent 2P finishing (10-13, 76.9%) and 6-8 FT (good). Slajchert poured in 26 (3-6 3P, excellent; 7-9 FT, good) and Bailey added 18 with excellent 3P (4-7). Oliver Vujakovic contributed 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals. As a team under coach Dragan Stipanovic, Rsidence shot a good 40% from three and 76% at the line, enough to counter Racing's interior control.
Coach Adam Radomirovic's Racing slips to 7th and has now lost two straight. Rsidence climbs to 2nd and is on a two-game winning streak.
(AI generated)