North Fox edged Nitia Bettembourg 51-50 in Reuler after a tense finish, decided by a late basket from captain Mattis Rob.
The hosts exploded out of the gate with a 12-0 start, Rob pouring in four consecutive baskets after Thierry Neu's opener. North Fox stretched the margin to a game-high +18 at 26-8 in the second quarter. Nitia then flipped the momentum with a 15-0 run to close the half at 26-23, fueled by Ewen Man-Fei Leung's drives and a string of free throws.
Out of the break, Nitia struck first with six straight points to lead 26-29, and the third quarter turned into a sequence of lead changes. Leung kept attacking while Mathis Brochier chipped in; for Fox, Rob's scoring and a Julien Rucken and-one response steadied the ship. Nitia still carried a 39-40 edge into the fourth.
The final period swung again: North Fox moved ahead 45-42 through Nick Schmitz and Yannis Ludes, Nitia replied to 45-46, and the teams traded baskets to 49-50. With about two minutes left, coach Nermin Civic called timeout; on the ensuing possession Rob hit the go-ahead two for 51-50. Soon after, Leung was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul, but the score did not change before the final signal.
Top performers
- North Fox: Mattis Rob (32) dominated inside and delivered the winner; Yannis Ludes (8) added important fourth-quarter points. Nick Schmitz (6) contributed before fouling out late.
- Nitia Bettembourg: Ewen Man-Fei Leung (23, 13 years, FRA) drove the comeback and led multiple scoring bursts; Mathis Brochier (10, captain) and Dinis Jorge Cruz Rica (7) supported.
Neither team made a three-pointer. After two losses, North Fox finally get on the board and climb to 4th (1-2, +2 places). Nitia remain winless at 0-3 and slip to 6th. Coach Arnaud Yves Gilbert Pyee's side showed resolve with the mid-game surge but fell one possession short.
(AI generated)