Jonas Visser carved through Val-Dieu Spirou Basket's defence with surgical efficiency: 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and — perhaps most telling — zero turnovers in 30 minutes. AB InBev Leuven Bears held on 69–65 at home, a four-point margin that felt slimmer than the stat sheet suggested.
Visser's shooting line was the difference. He did not attempt a three-pointer and did not need one; close range, he was near-perfect, converting 3 of 3 free throws on top of his field-goal accuracy. Val-Dieu Spirou Basket fought back — the final score speaks to a genuine contest in the second half — but Leuven's interior control, anchored by Visser's quiet dominance, held firm down the stretch.
One turnover-free performance does not make a season, but it sketches what an efficient role player can do when he stays within his range and lets the game come to him.
AB InBev Leuven Bears held off a late charge from Val-Dieu Spirou Basket to take a four-point win, 69–65, in a BNXT League regular-season game decided in the final minutes.
Leuven controlled the first half, building a 45–32 lead by the break. They extended that advantage into the third quarter, stretching it to 15 points at 59–44 with 2:07 left in the frame. A 10-0 run midway through the third, moving the score from 47–43 to 57–43, had them firmly in command. But Spirou's second-half resistance was real: the visitors outscored Leuven 18–16 in the third and 15–8 in the fourth, clawing back to make it a one-possession game inside the final two minutes. Leuven's defence held just long enough.
Jonas Visser led the hosts with 23 points on an efficient 10-of-12 shooting, adding 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Sebastian Thomas contributed 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, though he struggled from distance (0-for-4 from three). For Spirou, Douglas Konieczny Jr. carried the load with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting to go with 6 rebounds, but the offensive balance never quite materialised: Sam Hofman and Adedayo Polet managed 9 and 8 points respectively.
Leuven travel to Donar Groningen on Tuesday 6 October.
Douglas Konieczny Jr. has been Val-Dieu Spirou's engine in recent weeks — 21 points per game on a 68.5 TIB efficiency rating that leads this matchup by a clear margin. Jonas Visser anchors AB InBev Leuven's attack at 17 PPG, but the efficiency gap tells you where Val-Dieu has been clicking.
Konieczny Jr.'s scoring load and the way Spirou have built their offence around him stands in contrast to Visser's role: pure volume scorer for a Leuven side that leans more evenly across its rotation. That imbalance could define how this plays out — whether Leuven can contain Konieczny Jr. enough to stay in it, or whether Val-Dieu's clear form advantage runs through him early and often.
Tip-off is in just over three hours. This one's worth the watch.
AB InBev Leuven Bears host Val-Dieu Spirou Basket in the BNXT League tonight, and both offences will carry genuine scoring punch. Sebastian Thomas has been the Bears' engine this season at 24 points per game, while Douglas Konieczny Jr. brings a similar weight for Spirou at 21 PPG — two guards capable of dictating tempo and spacing that will test both defences.
The intrigue here centres on which team's role players step up. Thomas and Konieczny Jr. will draw the primary defenders; whoever converts the secondary scoring opportunities — the cutters, the corner threes, the pick-and-roll helpers — tends to control the flow in these matchups. Leuven's home court usually counts for something in these domestic fixtures.
Tip-off is in about six hours. Worth your evening if you follow Belgian club basketball.
Douglas Konieczny turned the Beker van België round-of-16 into a clinic at Stedelijke Sporthal Vilvoorde. The Val-Dieu Spirou Basket guard finished with 21 points on 9 of 17 shooting, five rebounds, four steals and a block in 26 minutes — efficient work in a 101–70 demolition of Bavi Vilvoorde.
A 31-point margin leaves little room for narrative. Konieczny's ball security (just two turnovers) and interior defence (four steals in just over half an hour) set the tone for what became a one-sided affair. He didn't need the three-ball; 2 of 4 from the line and 1 of 4 from distance underline that he found what the defence gave him.
Val-Dieu Spirou's cup campaign ends here on a high. Konieczny's showing was the kind of wire-to-wire dominant display that defines Cup knockout runs.
Val-Dieu Spirou Basket dismantled Bavi Vilvoorde 101–70 in the Round 1/16 Finals, a 31-point margin that made clear there was only one team capable of advancing from this matchup. Vilvoorde started strong, leading 30–22 after the opening quarter and reaching a 10-point high midway through Q1, but Val-Dieu's second quarter was suffocating — a 13-0 run turned a 32–22 deficit into a 32–35 lead and set the tone for everything that followed. By halftime, Val-Dieu led 52–43. The third quarter buried any hope: Vilvoorde managed just 16 points while Val-Dieu added 26, pushing the margin to 78–59 heading into the final frame. A 23–11 fourth-quarter finish sealed the rout.
Douglas Konieczny led the charge with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting, adding 5 rebounds, 4 steals and a block. Luukas Yaara was equally efficient — 15 points on 4-of-7 twos and a perfect 7-for-8 from the line, plus 7 rebounds. Nigel Hawkins contributed 13 points and 3 steals on solid 4-of-7 accuracy from the field.
For Vilvoorde, Seppe Vangindertael's 13 points (4-of-8 FG, 4-of-7 threes) and Victor Cuyvers 12 points with 6 boards offered flashes, but the structural gap in depth and execution proved insurmountable. Val-Dieu's dominance means the Beker campaign ends here; their tournament run is over.
Bavi Vilvoorde host Val-Dieu Spirou Basket in the Beker van België this evening at Stedelijke Sporthal Vilvoorde. The cup competition brings domestic rivals together with little margin for error — one game, winner advances.
Victor Ofili has anchored Vilvoorde's scoring all season, averaging 9.4 points per game, and will be central to how the home side navigates a Spirou side that knows the Belgian cup terrain well. Cup ties often turn on depth and execution in tight stretches rather than regular-season form, so look for both benches to factor in.
Tip-off in roughly six hours. Follow live coverage here on the platform.
