BC Mess edged Bascharage Hedgehogs 70-63 in Mondercange under FIBA rules, a game decided by two massive momentum swings and late control from the hosts.
Bascharage started sharper, taking the first quarter 17-10 and stretching to 22-13 early in Q2 after Jeffrey Early Jr. (37, 1.90m, USA) hit from deep for the night's MVP line of 26 points and 9 rebounds. Mess then flipped the script with a 17-0 run to 30-22, powered by Deanthony McCallum (27, 1.90m, USA) and Cobie Barnes (24, 1.95m, USA), and led 35-30 at the break.
The third quarter briefly swung back when Veljko Dragasevic (28, 1.94m, HUN) put Bascharage ahead 41-40 with a three. Mess answered immediately with an even bigger 16-0 streak (from 40-44 to 56-44), with Barnes pouring in 7 points in that spell and Jos Junior Andrade Monteiro (23, 1.86m, PRT) drilling a key three. After 30 minutes it was 64-52. Early tried to drag Bascharage back, scoring two baskets in a row in the fourth to close to 68-61, but Mess closed it out.
Team shooting underscored the outcome: both sides were good from 2 points (MES 52%, BAS 56%), but struggled from three (MES 29%, BAS 17%). Mess survived a poor 1-point night (29%) by winning the turnover battle (9 vs 14) and edging the glass (35-32). Highest leads: Mess +12, Bascharage +9. An unsportsmanlike foul on Deni Sabotic (17, 1.85m) in Q1 reflected the physical tone. McCallum picked up three fouls in the third but kept producing.
Top performers
- Mess, non-domestic: Barnes 28 points, 10 rebounds (double-double), 2 steals; McCallum 19 points, 4 assists, 4 steals.
- Mess, domestic group: Edvaldo Moreira Cardoso (22, 1.85m, PRT) 6 points on 3/3 2P; Andrade Monteiro 5 points; F. B. Zinedine Gauthier (25, 1.86m, FRA) 6 points, 2/2 FT in the key run.
- Bascharage, non-domestic: Early Jr. 26 points; Dragasevic 8 points, an excellent 5/5 from the line; Odysseas Papadopoulos (33, 1.92m, GRC) 12 points.
- Bascharage, domestic group: Dzenan Eco (19, 1.96m) 7 points, 11 rebounds; Sabotic 8 points.
Coach Fernand Musquar's side extends its streak to four straight wins; Bascharage's two-game run is halted.
(AI generated)