AB Contern B opened the Tour qualificatif with a 54-41 road win at Basket Esch B, leading from the opening 5-0 burst and never trailing. After 16-11 at the first break, veteran Anne Ludivig (43, 1.76m) strung together six straight points early in Q2 four from the line plus a layup to make it 26-14. Coach Raouf Hatira halted the run, and Esch replied from deep: Cathy Hoffmann (LALB) nailed two triples in the quarter to keep it 23-32 at halftime.
Esch rallied after the interval. Lena Schaeffer (LALB) opened Q3 with a three and Lisa Engel (LALB) scored three times around the rim to close to 35-40. The hosts got within 40-44 midway through the fourth, but Contern closed with an 8-0 run free throws and baskets shared by Ludivig, Tessy Margue (41, 1.81m) and Amelie Laure Sybertz (18, 1.82m) for the game's largest lead at the buzzer (+13). Contern did all its damage inside and at the line, with no made threes, while Esch hit five triples (two each by Hoffmann and Lena Schaeffer).
Top performers: Contern spread the scoring Ludivig, Sybertz and Margue 11 each; Fabienne Medinger 7; Sophie Grivet 6. For Esch, Luca Stocklausen (LALB) and Engel had 8, Hoffmann and Lena Schaeffer 6. Early foul trouble for Ilaria Tuzzé (LALB) and four fouls on captain Cynthia Dohn (LALB, 44) weighed on the hosts. Coach Idris Abderrahmane Kader managed rotations well through key timeouts.
Standings note: Contern B starts 1-0 (6th), Esch B 0-1 (7th).
(AI generated)