Amicale Steesel overpowered Musel Pikes 83-53 in Stadtbredimus and moved to first place in the W-Enovos League qualification round. It is Steesel's third straight win, while Musel slip to 0-3. Notably, Steesel lined up two professional players while Musel had none, a factor in the matchup's balance of power.
Musel actually struck first through Nanda Kleuls (16, 1.73m), but the visitors took control early and closed the first quarter up 21-10. After Kleuls' opener, Julie Nilles (24, 1.78m) scored Musel's next eight points to keep the hosts afloat. Steesel built a 44-27 half-time lead and opened the third quarter with a 6-0 burst, including back-to-back finishes by Kathryn Jo Missavage (17, 1.80m). Coach Paul Missavage's team stretched the gap to 61-37. In the fourth period, Julie Mangen (27, 1.64m) hit a personal 5-0 (2 then 3) to make it 77-47, before Marie Stoffel (22, 1.77m) added two baskets in a row for 83-50, the largest lead (+33). Coach Marc Hahnemann's timeout in the third steadied Musel briefly, but Steesel's depth told.
Steesel's collective work on the glass (48-38 rebounds, 20 offensive) and pressure (14 steals, forcing 24 turnovers) outweighed cold perimeter shooting (3/23 from three). Inside scoring was decisive: 33 two-pointers at 49%. Stoffel led with 17 points on 8/12 2P (good), 6 rebounds (4 offensive). Mangen added 13 points with excellent 2/2 FT and 4/7 2P. A'lexus Harrison (30, USA) posted 11 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, topping the game ranking. Desiree Genevieve Ramos (32, 1.70m, USA) had 13 points and 14 rebounds, including 8 offensive. Kathryn Missavage contributed 12 points on an excellent 5/7 2P.
For Musel, Nilles produced 18 points (6/9 2P, 2/5 3P), 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Alexandra Weber (25, 1.68m) added 13 points and 9 rebounds. Team shooting remained difficult (17/39 2P, 5/26 3P; 4/8 FT).
In the table, Amicale Steesel climb to 1st (3-1, +1), while Musel Pikes stand 6th (0-3).
(AI generated)