Sparta Bertrange beat Racing Luxembourg 72-63 at atert/central, controlling the middle two quarters and holding off a late charge. The first quarter was balanced at 18-16, with Thandizo Jon Zulu (15, SVN) and Aaron Torresani (14, ITA) setting the tone for Sparta, while Marcel Berger (14, SVN) kept Racing in touch with a string of early free throws.
The game tilted in the second. After 23-20, Sparta authored a 10-0 run built on stops and paint touches: Alexandre Olinger (15) and Isamu-Vincent Boisclair (15, JPN) scored back-to-back pairs before Zulu pushed the lead to 33-20. Coach Christian Michael Wulff's side took a 33-22 cushion to halftime. In the third, Zulu added two more mid-quarter baskets and Maximilaan Flechtner (15, DEU) scored twice in the lane, keeping Racing at arm's length, 51-35.
Sparta's largest lead came early in the fourth at 55-36 after Flechtner opened the period with two straight scores. Racing responded behind captain Nick Wallers (15), who piled up drives and late free throws, and Elhadj Ibrahima Diallo (13, PRT). A Torresani three and subsequent layup proved timely, but Racing's push continued as Martin Cuesta Jaramillo (14, ESP) and William Armand Jaud (15, FRA) chipped away. Racing lost Mihailo Rilak (15) to five fouls in the closing stretch, which limited their interior presence, yet they still closed to single digits before time ran out.
Numbers underline the routes each team took: Sparta made 29 two-pointers and 2 threes; Racing did not convert from beyond the arc but stayed alive at the line with 17 made free throws. Top scorers were Zulu with 19, Flechtner 16 and Torresani 13 for Sparta; Wallers led Racing with 20, supported by Diallo 12 and Cuesta Jaramillo 11.
Sparta moves to 1-2 and sits 3rd, ending a two-game slide. Racing falls to 0-3 and remains 6th. Coach Uros Niksic's team won the fourth 27-21 and showed resilience, but Sparta's second-quarter surge defined the night.
(AI generated)