BBC East Side Pirates edged Racing Luxembourg B, 66-60, in a close Phase finale round-robin game at tramsschap/central. Racing, under coach Christian Frick, blasted out of the blocks behind captain Nicolas Breistroff (Season PPG: 10.7), who poured in 16 first-quarter points and strung together four consecutive scoring plays (2+2+1+1) as RACB built a 20-10 lead. Coach Gilles Poos' Pirates flipped the game in the second: Demir Eco (Season PPG: 9.5) opened the quarter with back-to-back baskets and, with captain Tim Konstantin Focht (Season PPG: 6.4), drove a 15-23 period to a 35-33 halftime deficit.
The third belonged to Focht, who authored a personal 6-0 run (three straight scoring plays) to push BEP ahead 37-43; the Pirates won the quarter 12-16 and led 47-49. Early in the fourth, Ben Pallmer (Season PPG: 6.3) delivered two quick buckets and BEP stretched the gap to a game-high +9 at 53-62. Focht then picked up two quick personals and fouled out, but BEP held firm through Eco's steady scoring and Pallmer's finishing.
A pivotal twist came when Racing's Breistroff received an unsportsmanlike (U2) and later a technical (T1), leading to his disqualification in the final period, right as BEP's cushion grew. RACB rallied to 60-64 on a Raphaël Massard (Season PPG: 8.6) triple, but the Pirates closed it out, with Eco sealing the final possession scoring for 60-66.
Top performers
- BEP: Demir Eco 23, Tim Konstantin Focht 23 (fouled out), Ben Pallmer 12, Wang Yuqiang (12, CHN) 5.
- RACB: Raphaël Massard 25, Nicolas Breistroff 21, Jean Georges Pongas 7, Timofei Plechko 5.
Racing's three-game winning run comes to a halt. In the updated table, Racing Luxembourg B rise two places to 1st (3 GP, 2-1), while East Side Pirates sit 6th (3 GP, 1-2).
(AI generated)