US Heffingen, now 2nd after a one-place gain, won 97-89 on the floor of Nitia Bettembourg in a game that became tight after a one-sided start. Bettembourg, despite also moving up one spot to 7th, is still looking for its first win and has now lost five in a row.
Heffingen set the tone immediately. Coach José Alberto Pais Costa's team opened with strong pace and shot creation around Najee Williams (Season PPG: 25.60) and Helder Laercio Neto (Season PPG: 25.20), building a 30-15 first quarter. The biggest gap came in the second period at 44-22. Williams, a 23-year-old 1.95m scorer from the USA, and Neto were on a real roll early.
Bettembourg reacted well. Nicolas Parrish (Season PPG: 26.40) kept the home side alive almost single-handedly before the break, and NIT closed the half with a 17-7 run to get back to 39-51. In the third quarter, Bradley Melton's team pushed even harder: Parrish and Wesley Almeida (Season PPG: 5.60) drove the comeback, and Bettembourg erased the deficit at 59-59 after a 20-8 surge from halftime. Jérôme Bous added 10 points but also picked up a technical foul in that phase.
Heffingen answered well when momentum had clearly changed. Frank Jacoby (Season PPG: 5.60) gave steady support with 14 points, Lee Bourgeois added 10, and Heffingen restored control to 71-65 after three quarters.
The last quarter stayed close. Parrish scored 44, a season high, while Almeida finished with 16 and Kyan Braunshausen added 7 in 20 minutes. Bettembourg came back to 89-92, but Heffingen had the better finish. Neto and Bourgeois combined in the closing possessions, and Heffingen closed the game with the last 5 points. Neto finished with 27, matching Williams' 27, while Noah Horsmans fouled out late for NIT.
(AI generated)