Racing Luxembourg edged Gréngewald Hueschtert 58-54 in the W-Coupe FLBB 1/4 finals at tramsschap/central, surviving a late surge to move on. The game flowed through clear momentum swings. After a balanced first quarter (17-14), Racing broke it open in the second with a 16-4 run to 33-20, their largest lead of the night (+13). Gréngewald answered through Jill Neuens (38) with five quick points to reach 33-25 at halftime.
The third quarter belonged to Barbora Buzasi (17, 1.85m, CZE), who scored three consecutive baskets to drag GRE back to 37-33. A two from Maike Jasmin Marneth (19, DEU) made it 37-35 before Racing steadied with free throws from Charlotte Pascale Loaso (27, FRA) for 41-35 at the buzzer.
Racing then reeled off a 6-0 start to the fourth (Jil Schmit, Estelle Sand, Loaso) for 47-35 and later stretched to 54-42 on an inside finish by Olivia Hoffmann (28, 1.85m) and a key three from Jil Mathis (24, 1.70m). Leisha Burridge (17, GBR) ignited a response with a flurry three triples and 12 points in the final period while Lavinia Strelen (18, 1.86m, DEU) buried a late three to make it 58-54. GRE closed the game on a 12-4 run, but time ran out.
Racing's scoring spine held: Juliana De Sousa Coelho (29, PRT) led with 18, Loaso added 12, and Sand (28, 1.82m) chipped in 9 including a first-quarter three. For Gréngewald, Buzasi dominated with 25 and persistent scoring in traffic, while Burridge finished with 15, almost all after the break. Neuens contributed 5 in the second-quarter push.
Discipline mattered: GRE captain Maé Manti (17, 1.56m) picked up her fourth foul in the third, limiting her impact, while Jackie Diederich (28, 1.80m) committed back-to-back fouls in the fourth during Racing's push. Coach Wojciech Daniel Kubis's side managed the key stretches better, despite Andrea Haris's timely time-outs halting some of the home runs.
(AI generated)