Racing Luxembourg controlled Basket Esch 85-69 in the M-U22 Qualifications opener at tramsschap/central. Racing set the tone early (21-14) and built a 40-33 halftime edge, then broke the game open with a 27-13 third quarter. A 10-1 burst from 47-37 to 57-38 and the highest lead at +24 (67-43) late in Q3 decided it, despite Esch taking the fourth 23-18.
Captain Angelo Caruso (19, 1.87m, ITA) led Racing with 24 points, fueled by 4 three-pointers and steady trips to the line, including consecutive free throws in the third that kept momentum. Louis Cocard (16, 1.89m) added 18, active in transition and half-court, while Timothée Lahure (20, 1.93m) chipped in 9 and punctuated the decisive run. Aleksandar Babic (21) had 9 but navigated foul trouble.
Esch's reply came from captain Fabien Vandler (18, 1.85m) with 22 points (three triples and seven free throws). Luka Stankovic (18, 1.90m) scored 13, often from the stripe, and Deni Sabotic (17, 1.85m, MNE) added 12. Malik Demirovic hit two timely threes.
Both teams sank seven three-pointers. Uros Niksic's group managed their foul issues on the wings and maintained control after the break, while Dejan Pavlovic's timeouts couldn't stem Racing's third-quarter run. Racing start their campaign with a win; Esch open with a loss.
(AI generated)