Bourges held an eleven point lead from the first game as they returned home to face Villeneuve.  They built on that lead for most of the game and were in firm control even as the visitors narrowed the gap to 54-53, handing the victors a 105-93 overall win.  With the championship contested by two teams who dropped down from EuroLeague, it will be interesting to see if there are any tweaks in competition format next season.

April 13, 2016

Bourges vs. ESBVA-LM 54-53 BOU Filip 16/15r Leedham 14/12r Dumerc 9 Page 4 Murphy 2 Hodges 2 ESB Amant 14 Kaltsidou 12 Mahoney 8/6r

Bourges wins series 105-93

It was the first leg of the final on Wednesday as the knockout rounds conclude with the familiar format.  Another battle of French foes was anticipated to be a grind and that was the case in the first game hosted by Villeneuve.  Bourges was able to build an advantage in the second half after a poor second quarter, taking home a 51-40 lead.  Celine Dumerc and Johannah Leedham were the only two players to reach double figures as the return game next Wednesday also figures to be a battle even with Bourges holding the advantage.

April 6, 2016

ESBVA-LM vs. Bourges 40-51 ESB Gomis-Halilovic 9 Amant 9 Mahoney 4 BOU Dumerc 12 Leedham 11/11r/7a Page 8 Hodges 0 Murphy 0

Both series concluded on Friday as the teams switched venues.  Bourges looked to have a safe lead going back to France, but Chelsea Gray had another key performance for Abdullah Gul University to win them the second game 67-60, which still left them losing 128-122.  Villeneuve was expected to have an easy time in their second game even though they were visiting Landes.  That turned out to be the case as they won the second game outright 70-54 to take the series 150-108.

March 25th, 2016

Bourges vs. AGU Spor 60-67 BOU Dumerc 19 Filip 11/7r Leedham 10/11r Page 6/9r L. Hodges 2 Murphy 0 AGU Gray 25 Sanders 15/6r Dimitrakou 8 Mazic 6/9r D. Hodges 6

Bourges win series 128-122

Landes vs. ESBVA-LM 54-70 LAN Ayim 15 Sliskovic 11 Basko-Melnbarde 5 Guzman 3 ESB Kaltsidou 16 Sacko 14/8r Robert 12 Mahoney 4/7r

ESBVA-LM wins series 150-108

The finals will take place on April 6th and 13th under the same format as the rest of this stage of the tournament.  The two French powerhouses will now get more chances to face one another for trophies this season.

Finals (team listed first hosts first game and team listed second hosts second game):

Bourges vs. ESBVA-LM

The two semifinal series will be played this week under the same format as prior knockout rounds.  Both Game 1s were on Tuesday.  Abdullah Gul University was able to take an early lead on Bourges at home, but the visitors built a solid lead in the win to carry a 68-55 margin back to France.  The other series matched two more French teams with Villeneuve breezing to the 80-54 win over Landes at home.  Both series will switch venues for the next game on Friday although neither series may end up being close.

March 22, 2016

AGU Spor vs. Bourges 55-68 SPO Gray 16/7r Dimitrakou 14 Sanders 10/6s Mazic 5 Hodges 5 McCarville 0/6r BOU Page 17/8r Leedham 15/7r Dumerc 12/6r/8a Salagnac 10 Murphy 1

ESBVA-LM vs. Landes 80-54 ESB Bremont 16/7r/7a Kaltsidou 15/6r Sacko 14/9r Mahoney 12/8r LAN Guzman 15 Basko-Melnbarde 12 Ayim 8 Sliskovic 0

Most of the series concluded on Friday.  Cappie Pondexter nearly helped Besiktas make another comeback, but a 71-63 win still left them short against Abdullah Gul University 142-139.  Miskolc did end their tournament on a win 58-57, but that was not close enough with a 146-123 loss.  Good Angels Kosice also cut into the deficit with a 68-60 win over Villeneuve, but lost 118-110 overall.  Bourges also won the second game outright against Spartak Moscow to advance 131-120.

Besiktas JK vs. AGU Spor 71-63 BES Pondexter 23/6r Ivankovic 17 Milovanovic 15 SPO D. Hodges 15 Sanders 13/6r Gray 12 McCarville 7 Dimitrakou 6 Mazic 4

AGU Spor wins series 142-139

Aluinvent Miskolc vs. Landes 58-57 ALU R. Hodges 18 Jovanovic 16/8r Brewer 11/10r Szecsi 4 LAN Sliskovic 17 Basko-Melnbarde 11 Guzman 6/6a Ayim 4

Landes wins series 146-123

Good Angels Kosice vs. ESBVA-LM 68-60 GOO Johnson 17/9r Stehlikova 16 Oblak 10 Hruscakova 8 Langhorne 8 ESB Mahoney 14 Amant 13 Aubert 12

ESBVA-LM wins series 118-110

Sparta&k M.R. Vidnoje vs. Bourges 62-63 SPA Alexander 14/8r Gladkova 12 Finogentova 10 BOU Dumerc 18/7a Leedham 15/12r Page 12 Ciak 12 Murphy 0 L. Hodges 0

Bourges wins series 131-120

The semifinals will be played on March 22nd and 25th under the same format.  Here are the pairings with the first team listed hosting the first game:

AGU Spor vs. Bourges

ESBVA-LM vs. Landes

Most of the series started on Tuesday.  The battle of Turkish teams started with hosts Abdullah Gul University winnin 79-68 over Besiktas with Zoi Dimitrakou as the leading scorer.  Villeneuve used their trademark balance and defense to beat Good Angels Kosice 58-42 without a double figures scorer.  Also in France, Bourges takes a 68-58 lead on Spartak Moscow.  The last series started on Wednesday in France as Landes handed Miskolc their first loss of the competition 89-65 with Iva Sliskovic leading the way.

AGU Spor vs. Besiktas JK 79-68 SPO Dimitrakou 20 McCarville 17/8r Gray 16/8r Sanders 15 Hodges 5 Mazic 4 BES Pondexter 18 Milovanovic 14/9r Ivankovic 12/6r Cora 12

Landes vs. Aluinvent Miskolc 89-65 LAN Sliskovic 21/7r Ayim 19/9r LeGluher-Cano 19/6s Plagnard 11 Basko-Melnbarde 11 Guzman 8 ALU Jovanovic 15/7r Czank 13 Horti 13 Brewer 5/7r Szecsi 4 Hodges 2

ESBVA-LM vs. Good Angels Kosice 58-42 ESB Bremont 9 Sacko 9 Mahoney 7 GOO Langhorne 12 Johnson 8 Hruscakova 2 Zirkova 2

Bourges vs. Sparta&k M.R. Vidnoje 68-58 BOU Dumerc 15/7r/8a Filip 11 Leedham 11 Page 8/6r Murphy 4 Hodges 4 SPA Gladkova 14/12r Musina 13 Alexander 10/9r

The format will be similar to other rounds of the knockout stages of the tournament with two games, one at the home of each team with scores aggregated to determine a winner.  The major change this year is that the four teams progressing through the EuroCup season to this point will be joined at this stage by four teams that did not qualify for the next stage of EuroLeague.  This will add competition to the tournament at this stage, but it raises the possibility that a team will be crowned champions without having gone through the whole competition.  Game rules still apply at this stage so either game can end in a tie and overtime is only played in the second game and will only be played if the overall score is tied.

Quarterfinal Matchups (teams listed first host first game and teams listed second host second game, teams dropping from EuroLeague marked with *)

AGU Spor* vs. Besiktas JK

Landes vs. Aluinvent Miskolc

ESBVA-LM* vs. Good Angels Kosice*

Bourges* vs. Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje

Preview and Predictions:

AGU Spor vs. Besiktas JK

How they got here: AGU Spor finished 6th in EuroLeague Group B and Besiktas JK finished 2nd in Group A. Besiktas, who were seeded 16th beat 1 seed Istanbul University 152-148 in the round of 16 and 8 seed Reyer Venezia 139-129 in OT in the Round of 8.

Abdullah Gul University looked to be in prime position in EuroLeague, but almost failed to even qualify for this competition.  They have seemed poised to recover from struggles several times this season, but have not been able to sustain momentum.  If Chelsea Gray can continue her recent form, they will be dangerous in this round as they are deeper than their opponents.  Besiktas is the story of the knockout round thus far, starting as the 16 seed and knocking out two opponents in dramatic fashion.  They will be helped by having Cappie Pondexter to carry the team when they need it the most. Jelena Milovanovic has provided them with a reliable second option.  While those two could carry their team, a reliable third option would certainly help their cause.

Prediction: Besiktas has found a way to win series late since the knockout round started.  They may lose the first game on the road, but look for Cappie Pondexter to carry them back at home and take them to the semifinals.

Landes vs. Aluinvent Miskolc

How they got here: Landes finished 1st in Group F and was the 5 seed, beating 12 seed Edirnespor 150-148 in OT in the Round of 16 and 13 seed UFAB 49 118-92 in Round of 7. Aluinvent Miskolc finished 1st in Group G and was the 2 seed, beating 15 seed Lulea 176-134 in Round of 16 and 10 seed Nymburk 146-114 in Round of 8.

Landes nearly failed to make it out of the first knockout round, but continue to motor along in the tournament.  They lack some of the star power that other teams have, but their balance means that any one of a number of players can step up and control a game.  Miskolc has won every game in the competition so far and yet still sneak under the radar.  They have continued to add players to surround the frontcourt that has helped them so far.  It seems unlikely to think that they will win eight more games outright, but with their confidence high at the moment, they should still find ways to advance against bigger name teams further into the competition.

Prediction: Miskolc is riding a wave here both domestically and in this competition.  The first game will be tough, but look for them to win both and complete an impressive sweep to keep their streak going.

ESBVA-LM vs. Good Angels Kosice

How they got here: ESBVA-LM finished 6th in EuroLeague Group A and Good Angels Kosice finished 5th in EuroLeague Group A.

Oddly enough, these two teams came from the same EuroLeague group and thus have already faced off twice.  Each team won on their opponent’s home floor with Good Angels Kosice winning overwhelmingly in the second game.  Villeneuve relies on balance and team play, but may have needed a little more star power to advance at the highest levels.  Good Angels Kosice, on the other hand, has the veteran presence of Zuzana Zirkova directing traffic as Crystal Langhorne leads the frontcourt while Shenise Johnson provides additional scoring punch.  This is a battle of teams that have generally had continuity in their rosters and the shared familiarity should make for two good games.

Prediction: Both teams will be looking for redemption after dropping out of EuroLeague.  While the Slovakian side is talented, the tougher games that Villeneuve has played recently will give them the edge in the first game and Good Angels Kosice will come up short even with a win in the second game.

Bourges vs. Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje

How they got here: Bourges finished 5th in EuroLeague Group B and Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje finished 1st in Group A and were the 3 seed. Spartak beat 14 seed DIKE Napoli 143-119 in Round of 16 and 11 seed Nantes Reze 139-124 in Round of 8

Bourges may be unhappy to have dropped down to this competition, but their veterans will still be looking to win some silverware.  The core of the team has been together for a while and Celine Dumerc and Ingrid Tanqueray will take turns facilitating the offense.  They stand in stark contrast to Spartak Moscow, which has no players born before 1991. The inside combination of Emma Meesseman and Maria Vadeeva has steered the team through all of its tests, but Meesseman’s departure may have derailed the team.  In response, they did add Kayla Alexander and will hope that she immediately provides a boost to recreate the twin towers.  Around them, the shooters on the wing will be key in keeping the offense flowing.

Prediction: Young Spartak Moscow will have trouble in France with the experience of Bourges.  The deficit that will likely result from the first game will be too tough to overcome in the second game even if the series is split.