Nitia Bettembourg moved on from the 1/16 finals with an 80-71 home win over Arantia Larochette after controlling most of the evening but having to answer a real third-quarter push.
Coach Jérôme Defer's team built the game from its scoring leaders. NIT led 20-12 after the first quarter, then stretched the margin to its highest level at 40-29 late in the second period. The key early engines were Ewen Man-Fei Leung (NIT), only 14, and Adrian Ion Zianveni (NIT), who kept punishing Arantia inside and from the line.
Arantia reacted well after the break. The visitors opened the third quarter with 8 unanswered points, cutting 40-31 to 40-39. Noé Bissen (ARA) drove that sequence, and Sam Gölhausen (ARA) added a big three. For a moment, Joao Miguel Guerra's side had the game back in reach.
That was the crucial phase, and Nitia answered through its two main scorers. Leung finished with 33 points and Zianveni added 23, combining for 56 of the 80 points. Their response rebuilt the gap to 62-52 by the end of the third quarter. In the last period, Arantia came back to 64-58 and later 74-66, but never closer, with Leung continuing to score in key possessions.
For Arantia, Bissen led with 17 points, Rui Carlos Silva (ARA) had 12, and captain Finn Brosius (ARA) 11. Gölhausen and Noa Franssens each scored 7. Nitia also got useful support from Nathan Monteiro Delgado (NIT) and Dinis Jorge Cruz Rica (NIT), both active in stretches when the lead needed stabilising.
(AI generated)