Les Sangliers Wooltz edged Etzella Ettelbruck 51-48 in a tense Phase finale game and moved up one place to 3rd, while Etzella slipped to 4th. Paul Biver's team returned to winning after a defeat; Etzella is now on a three-game losing run.
Etzella started better and led 5-0 through Léa Gomes and Liz Diderrich. Then 15-year-old Italian Chiara Giorgio (Season PPG: 16.00) changed the rhythm. After a Lou Biver free throw, Giorgio scored 8 points in a row inside a 9-0 SAN run, turning the game around. Wooltz finished the first quarter ahead 16-9.
In the second period, Wooltz reached its highest lead at 24-14, again with Giorgio carrying the scoring load. Etzella stayed close, with Lara Martins da Silva (Season PPG: 6.73), Gomes (Season PPG: 9.93) and Ella Reding (Season PPG: 8.15) helping cut the gap to 26-23 at halftime.
Etzella kept pushing after the break. Gomes hit back-to-back three-pointers to swing the score from 29-27 to 35-33, and Valentine Jung's side took the third quarter 16-13 to lead 39-37. Early in the fourth, Gomes pushed the visitors to 43-41.
The decisive response came from Wooltz's leaders. Giorgio scored 6 straight points, including a three for 47-43, and 17-year-old Célia Abessolo Minane (Season PPG: 19.93) added the next 3 points for a 9-0 run to 50-43. Etzella still came back to 50-48 through Reding and Celina Santos, but Gomes then fouled out late. Giorgio made the last point of the night.
Giorgio finished with 39 points, 76.5% of Wooltz's total, with 8 made free throws, 11 two-pointers and 3 threes. For Etzella, Gomes led with 17 points, Reding had 7, Martins da Silva 6 and Santos 5. Wooltz has now won three of the four meetings between these teams this season.
(AI generated)