Black Star Mersch beat BBC Dikrich 97-77 in the M-U22 N2 Qualification round, avenging the onepoint loss from the first meeting. The game swung on momentum: BSM exploded out of the blocks and finished with authority, while Dikrich briefly seized the lead in the third quarter before running out of answers.
Trey Sean Boayue started with a personal 6-0 run and set the tone for a 32-21 first quarter. Dikrich answered in the second behind Amar Sijaric and Leonardo André Neves Lizardo, trimming the gap to 46-42 at halftime, with Sam Tibold steady at the stripe for Mersch.
The visitors' best stretch came after the break: Sijaric tied it and David Owen Dakeu Ngaha pushed Dikrich ahead 56-57. Coach Jérôme Hansen's timeout steadied BSM, and Leandro Da Silva Nunes' three restored a 66-63 cushion after three. The fourth quarter was decisive: Mersch reeled off a 12-0 run to 84-67, and shortly after, Sijaric (27) fouled out a pivotal blow for Dikrich's offense. BSM's lead peaked at +22 (97-75) before closing 97-77.
Key numbers underline the difference: BSM made six triples to Dikrich's one and outscored them 17-8 at the line (31 made two-pointers vs 33, but superior perimeter and free-throw output swung it). Boayue (Season PPG: 23.43), the 16-year-old captain, was unstoppable with 38, while Tibold (Season PPG: 24.71) added 32, including nine free throws and three threes. Da Silva Nunes chipped in 14 with two big triples, and Raphael Solomon had 10.
For Dikrich, Sijaric (Season PPG: 19.0) powered the comeback before fouling out, and Neves Lizardo (19, PRT) added 23. Kevin John Gillen hit the team's lone three.
BSM extends its winning streak to four and climbs to 5th (+1). Dikrich stays 3rd (+1) at 4-3 but slides to a second straight defeat. Coach Endrit Shala's early fourth-quarter timeout couldn't halt Mersch's clinching run.
(AI generated)