North Fox took an important 81-63 away win over BC Mess in the M-Nationale 2 relegation group. FOX moved up two places to 3rd, while Mess remained 4th. It was also FOX's first success against Mess this season after three earlier defeats, and a third straight win after a very long losing stretch.
The game was competitive until the break. Mess opened well and built a 15-4 lead behind Pedrito Kemevuako, Jamie Freymann and Bernardo Matos Pinto, but FOX closed the first quarter with 11 unanswered points to get back to 15-15. The second period stayed tight, with Gauthier and Matos Pinto keeping MES in range, yet the visitors edged halftime 38-36.
The decisive phase came in the second half. Charel Linden (Season PPG: 17.89), Mathys Neves (Season PPG: 4.42) and the 29-year-old 1.86m USA guard Jacob Salinero (Season PPG: 16.20) gave FOX control. In the third quarter, Linden scored 9 straight FOX points during a key run that stretched the margin to 58-49. Early in the fourth, FOX added 12 unanswered points, turning 60-53 into 72-53. The highest lead reached 21 points.
Salinero finished with 25 points, Linden also had 25, and Neves added 22. Jona Hanf, the 2.04m Belgian center, contributed 5 points. FOX had two professional players available, while Mess had none.
For Mess, captain Fabbri Bruno Zinédine Gauthier (Season PPG: 8.88) scored 16, Bernardo Matos Pinto (Season PPG: 8.65) added 10, and Giovanni Kemevuako, Nikola Sarkovic and Freymann each scored 7. Mess stayed close for three quarters, but the last quarter, lost 21-10, broke the game open.
(AI generated)