T71 Dudelange edged AB Contern 68-63 in Contern/central after a tight finish. The visitors set the tone early (11-17, Q1) and pushed the gap to 17-29, before Contern answered with a 7-0 burst to stay in touch at halftime (29-36). The hosts rode a strong third quarter (21-15) on the back of outside shooting to trail 50-51. In the fourth, Contern briefly seized control: Lou Mathieu (30, 1.68m) hit a three for 56-55, and after exchanges they were still up 61-59. The game flipped in the final minutes as T71 strung together a decisive 0-9 run, capped by back-to-back threes from Shalonda Renae Winton (34, 1.80m, USA) and Lauren Anne Van Kleunen (27, 1.88m, USA). A late two by Esmeralda Skrijelj (30, 1.78m) set the final score.
Contern leaned on the MVP display of Caileigh Ann Walsh (22, 1.91m, USA): 26 points, 8 rebounds, an excellent 8/10 on 2s and 7/9 at the line. Ana Petrova (43, 1.71m, BGR) splashed 5/7 from three (71%) for 15 points. Stefanie Grace Kulesza (22, 1.83m, USA) added 14 points and 8 boards but navigated four fouls. Skrijelj handed out 9 assists. As a team, Contern shot 41% on 2s and 27% from deep (10/15 FTs).
For T71, Van Kleunen paced with 21 points (4 threes), including a dagger in the last minute. Among the locals, Svenia Nurenberg (25, 1.80m) delivered 20 points on 7/8 inside and a perfect 6/6 at the stripe. Winton posted a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double and hit the go-ahead triple. Beatriz Ines Gomes Jordao (26, 1.91m, PRT) controlled the glass with 15 rebounds. Coach Mathieu Pierre Fivet's side owned the boards (47-31, 17 offensive) and was excellent at the line (11/12, 92%). Despite only 21% from three, T71's balance and late shot-making decided it.
Coach Fabienne Fuger's team falls to 1-1, while T71 moves to 2-0 and stays atop the table, now on a two-game winning streak.
(AI generated)