Musel Pikes edged T71 Dudelange 70-63 in the W-U16 Division 1 Phase finale, staying perfect in the championship round and extending their season-long streak to 11 wins in a row. The visitors controlled the game's rhythm from the start (15-10 after Q1) and maintained a steady cushion at halftime (37-32) and after three (53-48), before withstanding T71's late push.
Game evolution turned in the fourth quarter. With T71 still within reach at 52-59, a C1 technical on coach Yves Marchi gave Musel an extra free throw and momentum. Musel then strung together a decisive 9-0 run: Nour Elodie Diallo (15, FRA) and Zoé Freitas (Season PPG: 28.29) hit four straight free throws around more contact, and captain Marie Gloden (Season PPG: 16.80) added a basket for 52-68, the night's largest lead (+16). T71 answered with threes from Katarina Barbic (Season PPG: 10.68) and late scoring by Marie Beffort Neuman, but the gap proved too wide.
Gloden led Musel with 20 points, repeatedly scoring in pairs in the second quarter to hold the advantage. Freitas added 16 and drove key possessions, while Coralie Heynen (Season PPG: 11.30) chipped in 10. Sonia Garcia Garcia (14, ESP) brought 9 points and timely two-point finishes. For T71, Beffort Neuman erupted for a season-high 27 (Season PPG: 10.45) and opened the third quarter with back-to-back scores to pull within two (35-37). Barbic hit three triples and totaled 13, and Jana Dos Santos Dramicannin added 10.
Foul trouble hurt T71 late: Dos Santos Dramicannin and Matilde Pego Pinto both fouled out in the fourth quarter, narrowing the rotation at the wrong time. Coach Majdi Anan's Musel side, already dominant in the two previous meetings this season, now top the Phase finale table (2-0). T71 sit third (1-1) after a far more competitive showing than earlier in the season.
(AI generated)