T71 Dudelange controlled the Espoirs game at esch/ho3, winning 83-66 over Basket Esch after breaking the contest open in the second quarter. Esch edged the first period 17-16 behind an early spark from captain Fabien Vandler (10), but T71 flipped the game with a 15-30 second quarter. The key stretch came at 19-20, when T71 strung together a 10-0 run capped by Uros Malesevic at the line and built a 32-46 halftime lead.
After the break, Basket Esch tried to answer through Deni Sabotic (18, 17-year-old guard, MNE), who piled up mid-range finishes and scored repeatedly to keep the margin in check. Still, T71 kept finding answers: Charel Brettner (14, 1.93m) hit from deep, Lenn Dondelinger (13) attacked the lane, and Malesevic (12) added a three plus inside touches. The visitors' advantage peaked at +21 (62-83) before Esch closed with a short 4-0 burst.
For T71, Fabian Agbodenou (21, 20 years, DEU) was the driving force, spearheading that pivotal second-quarter surge with a flurry of baskets, while captain Nils Schroeder added 15 steady points. Dondelinger (13), Brettner (14) and Malesevic (12) rounded out a balanced scoring core; Noah Jeitz (2) opened Q2 with two free throws to nudge T71 in front, and Len Guedes (6) sealed possessions and hit late free throws.
Basket Esch's best moments came from Sabotic (18) and Malik Demirovic (12), with Vandler (10) sharp early and Rapha l Gabriel Pierre Cessat (9) drilling a late three. Luka Stankovic (7) chipped in, including a second-quarter triple. Neither side suffered major foul trouble.
Coaches: Serge Logelin's side starts the season on a win and sits first in the standings. Dejan Pavlovic's Esch drops to 0-2, now on a two-game skid, ranked fifth.
(AI generated)