Union Neuchâtel secured a hard-fought 69-61 victory against the Lugano Tigers on Wednesday night at the Riveraine venue during the second round of the Swiss Basketball League season. Head coach Mitar Trivunovic watched his squad grind out their first home win of the campaign despite struggling with early intensity and a double-digit deficit in the second half.
Early Struggles and First-Quarter Stalemate
The hosts failed to establish their desired tempo from the opening tip. Union Neuchâtel and the Ticino visitors played to an 18-18 tie at the end of the first quarter. Zion Russell carried much of the early scoring load for the opposition, putting up 11 points during the opening exchanges.
Neuchâtel found some traction in the second period. Nikola Damjanovic and David Vuckovic sparked a surge that handed the hosts a 10-point advantage. However, the young Lugano roster responded before halftime, cutting the deficit to five points, 35-30, before the teams headed to the locker rooms.
The Third-Quarter Slump and Youth Inexperience
Momentum swung back to the visitors after the break. Union Neuchâtel hit a cold patch at the start of the third quarter, eventually falling behind by as many as 11 points early in the fourth period.
Captain Arthur Borel, returning to competitive action at the Riveraine after missing an entire season, pointed to the squad’s youth as the root cause of the scoring drought. « On est une équipe jeune donc ces moments de battement, on ne les gère pas encore très bien », Borel said regarding the team’s difficulties in managing momentum swings.
Late-Game Rally Seals the Win
Trailing by double digits, Trivunovic’s men tightened their defensive rotation and pushed the pace. A three-pointer from Silmy Joao Caputo, followed by a missed shot from Lugano and a basket by Rodin Sangwa, propelled Neuchâtel back into the lead at 63-59 with under a minute remaining on the clock.
« On est une équipe qui peut avoir 15-20 points de retard et quand même revenir, c’encouragent », Borel noted after the final buzzer, emphasizing the resilient nature of the group. Damjanovic, who led all scorers with 19 points on the night, also praised the late surge. « C’est bien qu’on ait pu reprendre le rythme dans le quatrième et appliquer tout ce que l’on avait envie de faire depuis le début », he said, though he acknowledged with a smile that the team occasionally played too fast.
Standings and Upcoming Fixtures
Following Wednesday’s results, the Lugano Tigers sit inside the top three of the Swiss Basketball League standings with four points from their opening matches. Union Neuchâtel occupies fourth place with two points.
The team from the Riveraine will return to training immediately to work on team chemistry and new player roles before facing Massagno away on Saturday at 17:30 local time.
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