T71 Dudelange beat Résidence Walferdange 101-89 at grimler/central before 220 fans (180 paying), completing a 2-0 sweep of the qualification round series after the one-point win in Walfer. The game stayed close early (27-24), then T71 stretched the gap with a 26-18 second quarter to lead 53-42 at the half. A burst right after the break, capped by a Jimmie Lee Taylor III triple, pushed the margin to 61-42, the night's highest lead (+19). An unsportsmanlike foul on T71's Davide Grun gave RES momentum and John Clark Slajchert scored repeatedly to cut it to 77-67 after three. RES opened the fourth with a 7-0 run (Bailey and Schomer) to 77-74, but T71 answered through Maurice Calloo and Taylor, then Christopher Jack and Joe Kalmes rained threes to restore double digits and close it out.
Team profiles differed: T71 shot well across the board (FT 86%, 2P 53%, 3P 45% all good) and dominated the glass 46-23 while dishing 25 assists to RES's 2. RES were perfect at the line (7/7, 100% excellent) and efficient inside (2P 61% good) but struggled from deep (28%).
Among T71's local core, Joe Kalmes (Season PPG: 14.87, RPG: 6.21, AssPG: 0.47) delivered 26 points on 5/7 from three (excellent), 7 rebounds and 5 assists; Jack added 9 with 3/8 from three (good) and Ivan Do Rosario Delgado (Season PPG: 10.45, RPG: 4.87, AssPG: 3.73) chipped in 9 and 7 assists. The imports led the scoring: Taylor III (Season PPG: 22.0, RPG: 7.5, AssPG: 1.0) had 25 with 5/9 from three (excellent) and 9 boards, while Calloo (26, 2.03m, USA) posted 24 and 7 rebounds, going 9/9 at the line (excellent).
For RES, Brendan T Bailey (28, 2.03m, USA) poured in 31 with 10 rebounds, hitting 5/13 from three (good) and 6/6 FT (excellent). Slajchert (Season PPG: 27.33, RPG: 5.00, AssPG: 3.17) added 29 with 9/16 on twos (good). Tom Schomer scored 10; Oliver Vujakovic 7.
Yves André Defraigne's group used spacing and ball movement to quell the late charge, while Rainer Kloss's side briefly threatened early in the fourth. In the standings, T71 climb to 5th and have won two straight; RES sit 6th and drop a second in a row.
(AI generated)