Rsidence Walferdange (RES) reached the M-Coupe de l'Avenir quarterfinals with a 61-47 home win over Etzella Ettelbruck (ETZ), built on a decisive second-half surge after a balanced first half.
ETZ started sharper and led 14-17 after Q1, fueled by a quick 6-point burst from Ben Schock, while RES captain Nojus Banys opened the scoring with two free throws and Jokubas Toliusis added early touches. The second quarter swung back and forth: ETZ stretched the gap to 23-28 behind Schock, but RES answered. Toliusis scored inside and Matas Sendzikas hit from deep to push RES ahead 29-28 before ETZ tied it 29-29 at halftime.
Coach Dragan Stipanovic's team took control in the third. From 31-31, Toliusis buried a three and RES stitched together a 7-0 spurt as Rafael Dos Santos Antonio (15, BEL) and Banys (15, LTU) alternated baskets to 46-36. The period ended 48-37 after a 19-8 quarter for RES, effectively the game's turning point.
ETZ tried to respond in the fourth through Noah Mendes and Seid Muratovic, but RES managed the gap. ETZ captain Gilles Schock fouled out in the final period, hurting their late push. Dos Santos Antonio iced it with a three and a layup to 60-47, and RES closed at +14, their largest lead.
Top performers
- RES: Rafael Dos Santos Antonio led with 22 points, repeatedly scoring out of half-court sets despite four fouls; Nojus Banys added 17, including two key threes in Q3; Jokubas Toliusis contributed 13 and a momentum-shifting triple; Sendzikas hit a timely three before halftime.
- ETZ: Ben Schock paced them with 17, Mendes added 11 (14), and Muratovic had 9.
RES produced the game's key 12-2 run late in the third and early in the fourth, while ETZ's early control faded as RES tightened defense and found rhythm. Coach Thierry Kremer's side stayed in touch until the late stages, but the hosts' third-quarter punch decided it.
(AI generated)