T71 Dudelange won this close semifinal opener 79-72 at home and moved 1-0 up in the best-of-3 series. It was also T71's third win in four meetings with Basket Esch this season, and a sixth straight win in the current run.
The game was shaped early by T71's offensive rhythm. Tom Schumacher's team led 24-20 after the first quarter, after building small cushions several times and answering Esch's late push from 20-13 to 20-18. In the second period, T71 created the first real gap. After Esch had cut it to 30-29, Lauren Anne Van Kleunen (Season PPG: 22.65, RPG: 8.89, AssPG: 4.63) took over and scored 15 straight T71 points, pushing the score to 45-33. That stretch gave the home side a 45-36 halftime lead.
The third quarter looked decisive when T71 went to 59-42, its highest clear lead at +17. The 1.88m American Van Kleunen finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and no foul. Basket Esch reacted well, though. Jovana Jaksic (Season PPG: 20.41, RPG: 7.05, AssPG: 2.11) and Tatsiana Likhtarovich (Season PPG: 17.89, RPG: 5.05, AssPG: 5.05) drove a 17-7 response, cutting the margin to 66-59 by the end of the third.
Esch stayed alive in the fourth, especially through Likhtarovich's 21 points and Burgund's timely shooting, but T71 answered each run. After Mia Schroeder's three made it 73-61, Esch later trimmed it to 75-70, yet baskets from Svenia Nurenberg and Van Kleunen secured the final margin.
T71 had the stronger interior numbers: 50.0% on 2-pointers, 44-34 rebounds, 18 assists and 4 blocks. Beatriz Gomes Jordao (Season PPG: 10.72, RPG: 11.11, AssPG: 1.95) added 8 points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocks, while Shalonda Winton produced 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. For Esch, Jaksic had 24 points, 10 rebounds and played all 40 minutes. Likhtarovich also played the full game and shot an excellent 5/6 on free throws and 2/3 from three. T71 leads the series 1-0.
(AI generated)