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EuroCup Round of 16 Game 2

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The second game of each series took place with the venues moving to the team with home court advantage.  Aggregate scores and winners are beneath each individual game score.

January 14, 2016

The top seed entered the day knowing that they were in trouble and the best effort of Tan White and Elizabeth Williams in a spirited fourth quarter were not enough for Istanbul University, which beat 16 seed Besiktas 80-70, but still lost to Jelena Milovanovic and the visitors by 4 points overall.

It was virtually a foregone conclusion for 2 seed Miskolc, but they took care of business 90-72 and 176-134 overall against a 15 seed Lulea team that had virtually already conceded. The most interesting portion of the game was the debut of Tayler Hill.

3 seed Spartak Moscow had a reasonable lead after the first game, but made sure to also win in front of the home fans after coming back to win 62-60 against Napoli, finishing with a 143-119 win. Maria Vadeeva led the way.

4 seed Sportiva Azores Airlines whittled away the lead of 13 seed Angers as their isolated location again proved tough for visitors to crack.  They could only win by 14 in regulation, which meant that the game would go to overtime. In the extra period they were edged 10-5 to win the game 67-58, but still lost overall 130-125, ending impressive campaigns by Ashley Bruner and Shaqwedia Wallace.

5 seed Landes overcame their deficit against 12 seed Edirnespor, forcing overtime even though the game score was not tied after regulation.  They edged the period 10-8, winning the game 89-80 and the series 150-148.  The game was marked by tremendous performances for Miranda Ayim and Carmen Guzman in the win and Ivory Latta and Nevena Jovanovic in the loss.

6 seed Enisey did win 68-64 at home in Krasnoyarsk, but that was not nearly enough to overcome 11 seed Nantes, which advances 136-121.  Tijana Krivacevic and Elin Eldebrink delivered fantastic performances at home for 7 seed Orduspor, but it was still not enough to stop Theairra Taylor and 10 seed Nymburk, which won the game 87-81 and the series 163-153.

8 seed Reyer Venezia won their second game with 9 seed TTT Riga outright 69-61 as they won 136-122 overall to advance. [Read more…]

EuroCup Round of 16 Game 1

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eurocup1The EuroCup knockout round format involves a two game series, with scores totaled to determine a winner if neither team completes a sweep.  Either game can end in a tie and the second game will go to overtime even if the score of the game is not tied if the aggregate score is tied.  The 16 remaining teams were ranked by group stage performances to determine the bracket, with higher ranked teams going on the road for the first game and hosting the second game.  Games below are listed in seed order.

 

January 7, 2016

Cappie Pondexter did not care about Besiktas only managing the 16 seed as they beat 1 seed Istanbul University 82-68 to carry a fairly substantial lead into the next game. 2 seed Miskolc had an easier time with their trip to Sweden, trouncing Lulea 86-62 behind Alyssia Brewer.  A big batle in the post in Italy saw 3 seed Spartak Moscow leave Napoli with an 81-59 win.  Group foes battled in France as 13 seed Angers emerged with a 72-58 win despite another great game from Ashley Bruner.  12 seed Edirne had their full squad for the first time in a long time, helping them best 4 seed Landes 68-61.  11 seed Nantes will take a solid lead with them when they visit Enisey in Russia after a 72-53 win over the 6 seed.  Tierra Ruffin-Pratt introduced herself to the European stage for the first time this season with Orduspor, but it was Veronika Bortelova and Nymburk that got a 76-72 win on their home court for their upcoming visit to the 7 seed.  9 seed TTT Riga closed the gap on Reyer Venezia to only lose 67-61, at least making the next game in Italy interesting as Karima Christmas led the way for the 8 seed.

Besiktas JK vs. Istanbul Universitesi 82-68 BES Pondexter 25 Milovanovic 16/6r Ivegin 12 Basaran 10/9r IST White 18 Williams 16/11r Mircheva 11/10r Cado 11/8r

Lulea vs. Aluinvent Miskolc 62-86 LUL Bussey 19 Staalvant 14 Hendrickx 10 Barthold 4/6r Hamilton-Carter 3 ALU Brewer 21 Horti 17 Jovanovic 15/7r Czank 14/7a Szecsi 5/7r

DIKE Napoli vs. Spara&k M.R. Vidnoje 59-81 NAP Achonwa 19 Carta 12 Burdick 10/16r Quinn 6 SPA Meesseman 17 Vadeeva 14/7r Gladkova 13 Kolosovskaia 10

UFAB 49 vs. Sportiva Azores Airlines 72-58 UFA Tunstull 16/6r Prodhomme 14 Egnell 8/11r Aleksandravicius 8/7r SPA Bruner 20/15r Ivanovic 17 Wallace 15/8r

Edirnespor vs. Landes 68-61 EDI Malashenko 17 Jovanovic 12/8r Dalgalar 11 Latta 10 Dolson 8/8r LAN Sliskovic 16 Barennes 10 Basko-Melnbarde 9 Guzman 8/6a Ayim 8

Nantes Reze vs. Enisey 72-53 NAN Casas 18/14r/7a Putnina 17/10r Plouffe 16/6r Gaillou 10 Thorburn 6 ENI Kiryanova 11 Mayombo 10/9a Hamson 5

Nymburk vs. Orduspor 76-72 NYM Bortelova 20 Khomenchuk 16/17r Taylor 12/7r Kuster 8/10r ORD Ruffin-Pratt 23 Eldebrink 18/7r Kavurmacioglu 11/9r Krivacevic 9/7r

TTT Riga vs. Reyer Venezia 61-67 TTT Krastina 14 Mann 9 Carter 6 Eglite 6 Priede 6 REY Christmas 20/8r Ruzickova 12/14r Dotto 12 Fontenette 7

EuroCup Round 6 Recap

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The group stage of the tournament finished this week.

Group A:

Qualification in the group had already been decided, but Adana dealt a small blow to Besiktas on Wednesday with Amanda Zahui B leading the way in the 91-82 win in a battle of Turkish teams.  On Thursday, Spartak Moscow finished the group stage with a 63-48 win over Piestanke Cajky.

Adana Aski vs. Besiktas 91-82 ADA Zahui B 29/7r Nacickaite 18 Campbell 12 De Souza 9 Williams 3 BES Grishaeva 18/7r Ivegin 16 Cora 15 Basaran 14/7r Pondexter 11/8r

Sparta&k M.R. Vidnoje vs. Piestanke Cajky 63-48 SPA Musina 14 Vadeeva 10/8r Meesseman 6/8r PIE Krc-Turbova 12 Engelman 9 Parker 8 Oroszova 3

Standings: Sparta&k M.R. Vidnoje 5-1, Besiktas 3-3, Adana Aski 2-4, Piestanke Cajky 2-4

Group B:

The group was settled on Thursday, as Orduspor left Udominate winless 87-68 with Tijana Krivacevic leading the way.  Dynamo Moscow held on to a narrow 61-59 win over TTT Riga, but Ksenia Tikhonenko’s performance was not enough to flip tiebreakers, leaving the last team in the tournament in the group’s top spot.

Orduspor vs. Udominate 87-68 ORD Krivacevic 24 Akkaya 19/9r Milovanovic 19 Vandersloot 15 UDO Mershon 16 Nordstrom 12 Baletic 11/6r Gross 10/11r Kabengono 6

WBC Dynamo vs. TTT Riga 61-59 DYN Tikhonenko 23/11r Fedorenkova 14/7a TTT Carter 14 Eglite 11 Mann 6 Priede 0

Standings: TTT Riga 4-2, Orduspor 4-2, WBC Dynamo 4-2, Udominate 0-6

Group C:

The last spot was determined on Thursday and both teams played like there was a lot at stake, going to double overtime before homecourt advantage helped Edirnespor edge Chevakata 97-94.  Each team relied on a trio as Ivory Latta, Nevena Jovanovic, and Milica Deura pushed their team to the win. Britney Jones, Elena Volkova, and Anete Steinberga nearly led their team to the next round.  Enisey was already preparing for the new year as they kept Tsmoki-Minsk from even getting one win 79-56.

Edirnespor vs. Chevakata 97-94 (2OT) EDI Latta 32 Jovanovic 24/12r Deura 24 Dolson 6/12r CHE B. Jones 28/7r Volkova 25/7r Steinberga 24/10r

Enisey vs. Tsmoki-Minsk 79-56 ENI Gogiya 15 Hamson 14/7r Mayombo 10/7a TSM Paugaite 19/6r A. Jones 2

Standings: Enisey 5-1, Edirnespor 4-2, Chevakata 3-3, Tsmoki-Minsk 0-6 [Read more…]

EuroCup Round 5 Recap

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Group A:

It was a critical game in Slovakia on Wednesday and things started slowly before picking up in the fourth quarter as Besiktas won 65-60 at Piestanke Cajky with Cappie Pondexter carrying her team.  Spartak Moscow earned its qualification on Thursday, eliminating Adana 91-70 as Maria Vadeeva could not be stopped, even with Riquna Williams working on her own big scoring game.

Piestanke Cajky vs. Besiktas 60-65 PIE Parker 12/15r Engelman 11/6a T. Palenikova 11 Oroszova 0/6r BES Pondexter 24/6r Ivankovic 15 Ivegin 10

Sparta&k M.R. Vidnoje vs. Adana Aski 91-70 SPA Vadeeva 34/12r Meesseman 14/11r Novikova 12/7a Namok 10 ADA Williams 26 Nacickaite 14 Campbell 10 Zahui B 10 De Souza 6

Standings: Sparta&k M.R. Vidnoje 4-1, Besiktas 3-2, Piestanke Cajky 2-3, Adana Aski 1-4

Group B:

Both games in the group were on Thursday as Dynamo Moscow got a critical 64-60 win against Orduspor to stay in the competition.  TTT Riga moved into first place with a 79-57 win over Umea.

WBC Dynamo vs. Orduspor 64-60 DYN Pimenova 19 Tikhonenko 12/12r ORD Vandersloot 20 Krivacevic 19/8r Milovanovic 15

TTT Riga vs. Udominate 79-57 TTT Melnika 18/6r Carter 15/7a Mann 12/8r Krastina 11 Eglite 8 Priede 2 Purina 0 UDO Gross 14/7r Baletic 12 Mershon 11 Kabengono 1

Standings: TTT Riga 4-1, Orduspor 3-2 WBC Dynamo 3-2, Udominate 0-5

Group C: [Read more…]

EuroCup Round 4 Recap

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Group A:

On Wednesday, Piestanke Cajky went to Turkey and surprised Adana 72-63 behind Monica Engelman to offset a strong performance from Riquna Williams.  On Thursday, Spartak Moscow moved to the top of the group by having a surprisingly easy time with Besiktas 109-58.

Adana Aski vs. Piestanke Cajky 63-72 ADA Williams 24/6r Zahui B 10/8r Sinan 10 De Souza 6 Nacickaite 4 Campbell 3 PIE Engelman 21 Krc-Turbova 12/8r Parker 8/8r Oroszova 5

Sparta&k M.R. Vidnoje vs. Besiktas 109-58 SPA Gladkova 19/6r Meesseman 19/6r Vadeeva 19 Finogentova 15 Musina 11/7r BES Pondexter 13/6r Ivankovic 12 Grishaeva 10

Standings: Sparta&k M.R. Vidnoje 3-1, Piestanke Cajky 2-2, Besiktas 2-2, Adana Aski 1-3

Group B:

Both games in this group were on Thursday as Dynamo Moscow kept Umea winless 66-59.  Orduspor managed to win at the end 80-78 to hand last chance qualifier TTT Riga their first loss as Jelena Milovanovic could not be stopped.

WBC Dynamo vs. Udominate 66-59 DYN Kulicheva 13 Pimenova 12 Potemina 11 UDO Mershon 18/7a Lukavocicova 12/6r Gross 4/10r Kabengono 1 [Read more…]

EuroCup Round 3 Recap

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eurocup1Group A:

Both games in this group were on Wednesday as the teams all started with a record of 1-1.  In the battle of two Turkish teams, Cappie Pondexter led Besiktas past Adana 87-70.  Spartak Moscow went to Slovakia and edged Piestanke Cajky 70-68 behind their young frontcourt duo.

Besiktas vs. Adana ASKI 87-70 BES Pondexter 30/6a Cora 24 Ivankovic 23/11r ADA Williams 17/6r Zahui B 14/8r Sinan 13 Nacickaite 9 Campbell 8/6r De Souza 2/8r

Piestanske Cajky vs. Sparta&k M.R. Vidnoje 68-70 PIE Engelman 21 Krc-Turbova 10/8r Parker 9 SPA Meesseman 24/13r Vadeeva 20 Musina 11/7r

Standings: Besiktas 2-1, Sparta&k M.R. Vidnoje 2-1, Adana ASKI 1-2, Piestanske Cajky 1-2

Group B:

On Wednesday, Orduspor went to Umea in Sweden and won 85-68.  On Thursday, TTT Riga continued to show that it deserved direct qualification instead of having to play their way into the tournament as they beat Dynamo Moscow 71-58.

Udominate vs. Orduspor 68-85 UDO Zanoni 15 Lukavocicova 12 Gross 12 Mershon 7 Kabengano 5 ORD Moss 20 Vandersloot 17/8a Krivacevic 17 Milovanovic 16/7r Lemberger 3

TTT Riga vs. WBC Dynamo 71-58 TTT Carter 16 Mann 14/6r Krastina 10 Eglite 7 Priede 5 DYN Tikhonenko 13/15r Siziakova 10

Standings: TTT Riga 3-0, Orduspor 2-1, WBC Dynamo 1-2, Udominate 0-3

Group C:

Both games in this group were on Thursday as Enisey came back to grind out a 53-50 win in Belarus against Tsmoki-Minsk.  Chevakata used a dominant 22-2 final quarter to stun Edirnespor 65-62.

Tsmoki-Minsk vs. Enisey 50-53 TSM Paugaite 14/8r Hasper 10/9r A. Jones 7/10r ENI Papova 16/7r Kiryanova 15 Hamson 6/8r

Chevakata vs. Edirnespor 65-62 CHE Bekmetova 16 B. Jones 16 Alikina 10 Steinberga 5/6r EDI Latta 19 Malashenko 14/7r Jovanovic 13/10r Dolson 10/9r

Standings: Edirnespor 2-1, Enisey 2-1, Chevakata 2-1, Tsmoki-Minsk 0-3

Group D:

On Wednesday, Istanbul University came back in the second half in Sweden to beat Lulea 86-77.  On Thursday, Gennifer Brandon had a monster double-double as Dunav won 80-61 over Energia Ivanovo at home in Bulgaria.

Lulea vs. Istanbul Universitesi 77-86 LUL Bussey 14 Staalvant 13 Vesterberg 12/6r Vanloo 10 Barthold 7/11r Boyd 3 IST White 18 Mircheva 17 Cado 14 Williams 13/11r Yavuz 11

Dunav 8806 vs. Energia Ivanovo 80-61 DUN Brandon 26/23r Brooks 17 Dimitrova 15/7r Kostova 11 IVA Medvedeva 13 Marchenkova 10/6r Zhuzhgova 10 Sazonova 10 Hammonds 6/6r/8a

Standings: Istanbul Universitesi 3-0, Dunav 8806 2-1, Lulea 1-2, Energia Ivanovo 0-3

Group E:

On Wednesday, Nantes jumped out to a massive lead at home against Pecsi and won 88-57.  The game on Thursday was much closer as overtime was needed in Germany for Wasserburg to beat visiting Reyer Venezia 73-68.

Nantes Reze vs. Pinkk Pecsi 424 88-57 NAN Casas 17 MacKay 16 Plouffe 14/10r Andreyeva 12 Putnina 4/7r PIN Handy 18/7r Tunstull 13/8r Drammeh 12/6r

TSV 1880 vs. Reyer Venezia 73-68 (OT) WAS Lucet 16/9r Peddy 12/6r Hindrakova 12 Raincock-Ekunwe 10/8r Sten 8 REY Carangelo 25 Christmas 15/10r Ruzickova 10/11r Fontenette 7/6r

Standings: Nantes Reze 3-0, TSV 1880 2-1, Reyer Venezia 1-2, Pinkk Pecsi 424 0-3

Group F:

The group started on Wednesday with an exciting game in France as hosts Landes held off Nymburk 62-59.  It was another close game on Thursday, as Switzerland’s Fribourg escaped Hungary with a 65-64 win over Pecs.

Landes vs. Nymburk 62-59 LAN Ayim 14 Guzman 10 Basko-Melnbarde 10 Sliskovic 8/8r NYM Kuster 23/9r Taylor 12/7r Khomenchuk 11/13r

PEAC-Pecs vs. Elfic Fribourg 64-65 PEA Zele 19 Parks 7 Stankovic 6/9r FRI Santiago 21/10r Davis 21/6r Rol 11 Correal 6

Standings: Landes 3-0, Nymburk 2-1, Elfic Fribourg 1-2, PEAC-Pecs 0-3

Group G:

On Wednesday, Valosun Brno used a big second half to beat Orange Blizzards 72-49 as the Dutch combined team must at least hope to be benefiting for upcoming international games.  The round closed in Italy on Thursday as a game of wild first half swings ended with Miskolc leaving with a 60-53 win over Napoli.

Valosun KP Brno vs. Orange Blizzards 72-49 VAL Sujanova 16/8r Vlkova 14 Sanford 10/14r Sedlakova 10/10r ORA Kuijt 10 L. Bettonvil 9

DIKE Napoli vs. Aluinvent Miskolc 53-60 NAP Ivezic 14 Bocchetti 12 Burdick 11/17r Quinn 7/8r Achonwa 6/9r ALU Rasheed 17 Czank 11/8r Jovanovic 10/6r Szecsi 6 Brewer 5/10r

Standings: Aluinvent Miskolc 3-0, DIKE Napoli 2-1, Valosun KP Brno 1-2, Orange Blizzards 0-3

Group H:

Both of the games in this group were on Wednesday.  Angers went to Gyor and won 70-53.  The day then ended late with the final game in the Azores (an island in Portugal), where the hosts continued their impressive start with a 68-59 win over Namur.

Uni Gyor vs. UFAB 49 53-70 UNI Grigalauskyte 12 Radocaj 10/6r Lakloth 10 Goree 6/9r UFA Egnell 25 Murphy 11/8r

Sportiva Azores Airlines vs. Namur 68-59 SAZ Ivanovic 21/6r Bruner 14/16r/6a Wallace 14/6r Milovac 10 NMR Mayombo 14 Sissoko 12/9r Delaere 11/6r Miljkovic 10 Orekhova 9

Standings: Sportiva Azores Airlines 3-0, UFAB 49 2-1, Namur 1-2, Uni Gyor 0-3

EuroCup First Round Recap

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eurocup1After a pair of qualifying games determined the last team to play in the group stage, the main portion of the competition started this week with games spread across Wednesday and Thursday.  The 32 teams were divided roughly geographically with 16 teams from the more eastern half of Europe split among Groups A through D.  Group E through H consisted of 16 teams from the more western half of Europe.  In this round, each teams plays a six game double round robin schedule.  The top two teams in each group will advance to the next round.

[Read more…]

Natalie Achonwa Finally Joins Napoli

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Natalie AchonwaCanadian national team player and center for WNBA’s Indiana fever will be joining Italian Serie A1’s 5th place team Napoli. Coming of a tough loss of the WNBA championship to the Minnesota Lynx she has had a little time to get some rest. Achonwa arrives at a crucial time with Napoli’s next opponent being first place team Familia Schio. Napoli will also compete in this season’s euro cup competition where they are placed in group G.  She will be a great addition to the team after having a very successful first campaign as a professional in the W.

EuroCup 2016

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eurocupWith a crowded field in this years Euro Cup which kicks off on October 28, 2015 there are several teams who stand a chance to bring home the championship this season. Last season’s Euro Cup champions ESB Villeneuve-d’Ascq and runner up Royal Castors Braine have both moved on to the Euro League leaving the title up for grabs.

There are several heavy hitters participating in this years competition. The club with the most history having won four Euro League titles is Spartak Vidnoje. Rounding out Group A are Besiktas who recently signed WNBA champion, All-star and no stranger to Euro competition Cappie Pondexter, Adani Aski SC, and little known underdogs from the Slovak Republic Piestanske Cajky.

Group B‘s most notable team is three time Euro Cup champion Dynamo Moscow who won most recently in 2013 and 2014.  Also in Group B are TTT Riga who won the last spot in the competition by beating the Flying Foxes Vienna on aggregate in the qualifying round. The other two teams are Udominante Basket and Orduspor Sportif Faaliyetler AS. For both teams this is their second year in the competition.

Several Teams in Group C have little experience in european competition with two teams hailing from Russia. Newcomers from Turkey are  Edirne Belediyesi Edirnespor. With only one season under their belt in the euro cup Enisey Krasnoyarsk Territory looks to make an impact in this group.  Tsmoki Minsk hasn’t faired well in their past euro cup outings and BC Chevakata is probably one of the most experienced teams in euro cup competition having competed in eleven straight. [Read more…]