"There is no offseason"
April 17, 2017
On Sunday Russian League’s Dynamo Kursk won their first Euroleague Women’s championship. Kursk capped an undefeated Euroleague season with a win over Turkey’s Fenerbahce. Angel McCoughtry lead the way scoring 20 points against her former team and was named MVP of the Final Four. Nneka Ogwumike finished with a double double of 19 points and 10 rebounds and Epiphanny Prince filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, seven assists and four steals.
Dynamo Kursk celebrate their first Euroleague Championship. Angel McCoughtry was named the Final Four MVP.
April 16, 2017
Sunday’s festivities started with the 3rd place game. UMMC at least gave the fans one win by controlling the second half to beat USK Praha 68-63 which served as good preparation for a tough domestic league finals series coming soon. That set the stage for an intriguing final matchup. Fenerbahce had the momentum from their last game and they started brightly. Dynamo Kursk then showed why they had won every game in the competition as they fought their way back into a lead, withstanding one final charge to win 77-63. Angel McCoughtry was the deserved MVP after two big games to get her team the trophy. Nneka Ogwumike played the entire game for the victors after being limited by foul trouble in the semifinal. The teams now have domestic league titles to focus on before their seasons end.
3rd Place Game:
ZVVZ USK Praha vs. UMMC Ekaterinburg 63-68 ZVVZ Petrovic 19/7r Dupree 16/7r Vaughn 6 Burgrova 5 Xargay 4 UMMC Toliver 18 Meesseman 16/12r Griner 13/6r Baric 7 Taurasi 5 Lyttle 4 Torrens 3 Belyakova 0 Nolan 0
Final:
Dynamo Kursk vs. Fenerbahce 77-63 KURS McCoughtry 20 Ogwumike 19/10r Prince 18/7a Cruz 5 FENE Quigley 19 Parker 18 Lavender 7/9r Gruda 5 Canitez 0
April 14, 2017
The Final Four started on Friday in Ekaterinburg. The hosts were up first against a Fenerbahce team entering the weekend with some changes. The visitors found their stride in the second half and Jantel Lavender helped them pull the 70-61 upset. Diana Taurasi was left trying to carry UMMC again as she has had to do an unexpectedly large number of times this season, but it was not enough.
The second game ended up being even better as Dynamo Kursk put its undefeated record on the line against a USK Praha team with a history of grinding out results when they mattered. The game did not disappoint as it became a war of attrition at the end heading into overtime. Kursk was able to grind out a tough win and secure a final spot with an 87-80 win. As expected, Angel McCoughtry led her team while Candice Dupree had a monumental effort for USK in the loss as several stars struggled with foul trouble and general ineffectiveness. T
The third place game on Sunday will provide interesting storylines as UMMC and USK Praha have had their share of dramatic finishes between them in recent years. UMMC are in desperate need of some momentum headed into the domestic league finals. The championship game will be a contrast between the steady results of a great season for Dynamo Kursk and the late season changes that have helped get Fenerbahce to this point.
Fenerbahce vs. UMMC Ekaterinburg 70-61 FENE Lavender 21/10r Quigley 17 Verameyenka 13/6r Gruda 5/7r Parker 4/15r UMMC Taurasi 26 Baric 11 Griner 7/7r Toliver 7 Lyttle 6 Meesseman 2 Nolan 2 Torrens 0
Dynamo Kursk vs. ZVVZ USK Praha 87-80(OT) KURS McCoughtry 28 Vadeeva 18/8r Cruz 9 Prince 6 Ogwumike 5/7r ZVVZ Dupree 39/13r Xargay 16 Petrovic 6 Vaughn 4/7r Steinberga 1
April 14, 2017
The stage is set for the Euroleague Women’s Final Four and you can catch all of the action live…while at work. Four powerhouses made their way to The first of two semi-final games has defending Euroleague champions UMMC Ekaterinburg taking on Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce. Both teams are stacked with WNBA talent as UMMC is home to Phoenix Mercury stars Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner. Also suiting up for the Russian powerhouse are Sancho Lyttle and Kristi Toliver. Fenerbahce is lead by 2016 WNBA champions Candace Parker and Jantel Lavender. Sandrine Gruda and Allie Quigley are also a huge part of Fenerbahce’s success. Follow all the action live here.
The second semi-final game pits another Russian squad Dynamo Kursk against former Euroleague champions USK Praha. Kursk is led by another WNBA champion Nneka Ogwumike along with Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry and Liberty guard Epiphanny Prince. USK boosts a roster with the likes of Candice Dupree and Kia Vaughn. You can watch the second semi-final game here.
March 15, 2017
The last two series were resolved on Wednesday. Nadezhda had the lead in Orenburg at halftime, but the absence of a star was too much as Candice Dupree and USK Praha stormed back to win 70-57. The game in Istanbul was also exciting, but Allie Quigley came alive for Fenerbahce at just the right time for them to beat Avenida 87-80. The semifinals are now set for the final weekend of play in a month.
Nadezhda vs. ZVVZ USK Praha 57-70 NADE Zhedik 10 Mitchell 8 Williams 6/9r ZVVZ Dupree 21/10r Petrovic 18 Xargay 16 Vaughn 6/10r Steinberga 2
ZVVZ USK Praha wins series 2-1
Fenerbahce vs. Perfumerias Avenida 87-80 FENE Quigley 28/8a Lavender 12/7r Gruda 12/6r Parker 12 Canitez 1 AVEN Milovanovic 18 Dominguez 17 Givens 13 Quevedo 13 Elonu 10/9r De Souza 3 Marginean 0
Fenerbahce wins series 2-1
Semifinals:
Dynamo Kursk vs. ZVVZ USK Praha
Fenerbahce vs. UMMC Ekaterinburg
March 10, 2017
The four home teams all needed wins on Friday to extend their series. USK Praha stayed alive by beating Amanda Zahui B and Nadezhda 64-55. Bourges threatened to hand Dynamo Kursk their first loss behind Marine Johannes, but the combination of Angel McCoughtry and Nneka Ogwumike continued to be too much, letting the visitors complete the sweep with a 104-92 win. Laura Macchi and Schio offered no resistance to Diana Taurasi and UMMC, getting swept 105-67. Jelena Milovanovic and Avenida also evened up their series at home after beating Fenerbahce 76-66. The two remaining series will finish on Wednesday as the teams swap venues once again.
ZVVZ USK Praha vs. Nadezhda 64-55 ZVVZ Petrovic 18/8r Dupree 16/14r Palau 11/7a Xargay 11/6a Vaughn 4/12r Steinberga 0 NADE Zahui B 21/9r Mitchell 12 Williams 6/7r
Series tied 1-1
Bourges vs. Dynamo Kursk 92-104 BOUR Johannes 28 Alexander 17/8r Salagnac 13 Chartereau 12 Leedham 5 KURS McCoughtry 33 Ogwumike 27/6r Prince 19/8a Cruz 6/6a
Dynamo Kursk wins series 2-0
Famila Schio vs. UMMC Ekaterinburg 67-105 SCHI Macchi 21 Zandalasini 16 Masciadri 9 Ress 7 Martinez 4 UMMC Taurasi 26 Griner 19 Belyakova 10 Lyttle 8/10r Meesseman 8 Torrens 7/6a Baric 6 Toliver 6/7a Nolan 2
UMMC Ekaterinburg wins series 2-0
Perfumerias Avenida vs. Fenerbahce 76-66 AVEN Milovanovic 22 De Souza 13/12r Elonu 11/6r Givens 11 Quevedo 8 Marginean 0 FENE Gruda 12/10r Parker 12/8r Lavender 10/7r Quigley 8 Canitez 2
Series tied 1-1
March 7, 2017
All four quarterfinals series started on Tuesday. Diana Taurasi and UMMC had no trouble in Ekaterinburg, beating Schio 92-47. It was a similar story in Orenburg, where Nadezhda beat USK Praha 80-57. Dynamo Kursk was on the ropes for a while as they tried to avoid their first loss of the competition, but the duo of Angel McCoughtry and Nneka Ogwumike helped them beat Bourges 76-71. Candace Parker provided an immediate impact in her debut for Fenerbahce as they beat Jelena Milovanovic and Avenida 78-68. Each series will continue on Friday, with four teams returning home knowing that they need a win to extend their campaigns.
UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. Famila Schio 92-47 UMMC Taurasi 21/6a Griner 14/7r Vieru 12/9r Baric 10 Toliver 8 Torrens 8 Lyttle 6 Belyakova 6 Meesseman 4/8r Nolan 0 SCHI Miyem 13 Zandalasini 11/6r Macchi 6 Martinez 4 Ress 0 Masciadri 0
Nadezhda vs. ZVVZ USK Praha 80-57 NADE Zahui B 18/8r Anoikina 18 Mitchell 13 Shilova 10/7r Williams 6 ZVVZ Palau 13 Hanusova 12 Petrovic 9/8r Vaughn 8/9r Xargay 5 Dupree 4 Steinberga 4
Dynamo Kursk vs. Bourges 76-71 KURS McCoughtry 25/8r Ogwumike 22/14r Vadeeva 10/12r Cruz 7 Prince 4 BOUR Chartereau 19 Leedham 12/6r/7a Filip 11/7r Alexander 11 Bojovic 10
Fenerbahce vs. Perfumerias Avenida 78-68 FENE Parker 23 Lavender 14/8r Gruda 13 Quigley 7 Canitez 0 AVEN Milovanovic 27 Givens 11/7s De Souza 10/6r Elonu 8 Marginean 3 Quevedo 0
February 22, 2017
Group A:
All of the games in the final week were played on Wednesday, starting with a meaningless game that saw Fenerbahce beat Mersin 75-52 in a battle of Turkish teams. Another meaningless game was in Hungary, where Dynamo Kursk did manage to complete an unbeaten regular season with an 84-49 win at Gyor. Schio needed a win at home in Italy to still be in contention for the quarterfinals and did so by coming back behind Endy Miyem to beat an already locked-in USK Praha 71-63. That result left Lattes Montpellier needing a win in Poland to advance, but Ewelina Kobryn was back to her best and Wisla Krakow won 77-61, dragging the French outfit down with them to the EuroCup as the return of Naomi Halman over the weekend was not enough.
Fenerbahce vs. Mersin 75-52 FENE Gruda 11/8r Verameyenka 11/6r Lavender 11 Stricklen 8 Quigley 6 Canitez 0 MERS Petronyte 17 Uslusar 10 Abdi 7/7r Robinson 2
Uni Gyor vs. Dynamo Kursk 49-84 GYOR Kiesel 14 Hruscakova 8 Goree 6/6r KURS Vidmer 18 Ogwumike 10/10r McCoughtry 9 Prince 7 Cruz 3/6r
Famila Schio vs. ZVVZ USK Praha 71-63 SCHI Miyem 20 Anderson 14/7r Macchi 14 Zandalasini 11 Martinez 8 Ress 0 Masciadri 0 ZVVZ Vaughn 18/9r Petrovic 17/12r Xargay 10 Dupree 6 Burgrova 4 Steinberga 0
Wisla Can-Pack vs. BLMA 77-61 WIS Kobryn 21/8r Gidden 16/11r Ygueravide 15/11a Simmons 12 Ben Abdelkader 8 BLMA Skrela 17 Godin 10/6r Lardy 10 Mann 10 Halman 1/7r
Standings:
Group B:
Another worst against first matchup took place in this group as Emma Meesseman and UMMC had no trouble beating Polkowice 94-57 in Ekaterinburg. Katsiaryna Snytsina and Hatay got the 69-51 win over Bourges, but could not flip the tiebreakers to their favor and miss out on the quarterfinals. Nadezhda beat Avenida 65-62 in Orenburg in a game that had no bearing on seedings. The battle for the last EuroCup spot went to the hosts in Villeneuve as Shenise Johnson’s effort for Sopron was not enough in a 78-63 loss.
UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. CCC Polkowice 94-57 UMMC Meesseman 20/8r Taurasi 18 Griner 15/7r Torrens 11 Toliver 9 Belyakova 8 Lyttle 2 Nolan 2 Baric 2 CCC Rezan 14 Harrison 7 Faulkner 6 V. Musina 1
Hatay vs. Bourges 69-51 HATA Snytsina 22 Turner 19/7r Paris 9/10r Stankovic 6 Tanacan 0 BOUR Alexander 12 Dos Santos 8
Nadezhda Orenburg vs. Perfumerias Avenida 65-62 NADE Williams 16/9r Anoikina 13 Zhedik 11 Zahui B 7/8r Mitchell 2 AVEN Givens 11/7r De Souza 10/6r Elonu 10 Milovanovic 8 Marginean 7 Quevedo 6
ESBVA-LM vs. Uniqa Sopron 78-63 ESBV Stepanova 16 Iagupova 16 Bremont 14/8a Gaye 11/7r Ayayi 9/10r SOPR Johnson 21/12r Krnjic 12 Crvendakic 10 Turner 2/6a
Standings:
Quarterfinals Matchups (team listed first hosts Games 1 and 3 of best of 3 format):
Dynamo Kursk vs. Bourges
Nadezhda vs. ZVVZ USK Praha
Fenerbahce vs. Perfumerias Avenida
UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. Famila Schio
Group A:
All of the games in this group were played on Wednesday. Vanessa Gidden and Wisla went to Turkey and beat Farhiya Abdi and Mersin to grab the last EuroCup spot and prevent the hosts from taking it. Dynamo Kursk remained undefeated with a 70-64 win over Schio. Fenerbahce won 71-63 in Praha to make a definitive move into second place. Lattes Montpellier eased past Gyor 69-50 to have the advantage for the last quarterfinals place going into the last week of games.
February 15, 2017
Mersin vs. Wisla Can-Pack 74-83 MERS Abdi 21/7r Newlin 19 Petronyte 12/13r Robinson 12/6a WIS Gidden 20/9r Ygueravide 18/9a Kobryn 18/6a Pop 11 Ben Abdelkader 7 Simmons 5
Dynamo Kursk vs. Schio 70-64 KURS Cruz 16/9a Ciak 12 Ogwumike 9/13r McCoughtry 9/6r Prince 9 SCHI Miyem 17 Sottana 13 Bestagno 11 Ress 4/7r Anderson 4 Macchi 4 Martinez 4
ZVVZ USK Praha vs. Fenerbahce 63-71 ZVVZ Dupree 19 Petrovic 15/7r Hanusova 10 Vaughn 8/8r Xargay 8 Steinberga 0 FENE Stricklen 16 Quigley 16/6a Lavender 15/11r Gruda 11/11r Vardarli 10 Canitez 0
BLMA vs. Uni Gyor 69-50 BLMA Mann 15 Godin 13/7r Robert 11/6r GYOR Kiesel 13 Goree 10/13r Hruscakova 7/7r
Standings:
Group B:
The highlight of the round came on Wednesday as it took three overtime periods to decide the game in Hungary before Hatay escaped with the 98-95 win. Courtney Paris and Barbara Turner had impressive statistics for the visitors while Yvonne Turner and Aleksandra Crvendakic led the hosts. 5 players played more than 50 minutes, including Natalie Hurst appearing in the full 55. Polkowice may have already been eliminated, but gave their fans something to cheer about by beating Villeneuve to prevent them from having a chance to advance. Bourges beat Avenida 69-63 at home, but will still need to beat Hatay next week to advance while the visitors managed to back into a quarterfinals place with the loss. The only game on Thursday decided the top spot in the group as UMMC was eventually able to get the 88-81 win over Nadezhda in Ekaterinburg. Brittney Griner led the hosts while Amanda Zahui B paced the visitors. Both teams are now locked into their positions heading into the final week.
February 15, 2017
Uniqa Sopron vs. Hatay 95-98(3OT) SOPR Turner 30/6a Crvendakic 20/11r Ajdukovic 12 Johnson 11/9r Krnjic 4 HATA Paris 33/28r Turner 33/7r Hurst 16/7r/6a Stankovic 4 Tanacan 0
CCC Polkowice vs. ESBVA-LM 77-68 CCC V. Musina 18 Rezan 16/9r Faulkner 15/13a Ortiz 13 Harrison 3 ESBV Ayayi 17 Bremont 13/6r/8a Iagupova 13 Sy 10
Bourges vs. Perfumerias Avenida 69-63 BOUR Alexander 16/10r Dos Santos 12/6r Tanqueray 12 Salagnac 12 Johannes 11 AVEN Givens 15 Elonu 14 De Souza 11/6r Marginean 7 Milovanovic 7 Quevedo 2 Miloglav 0
February 16, 2017
UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. Nadezhda 88-81 UMMC Griner 22/7r Toliver 17 Meesseman 13 Baric 10 Lyttle 8/7r Torrens 8 Taurasi 6 Nolan 0 Belyakova 0 NADE Zahui B 28/10r Williams 16/9r Shilova 11 Mitchell 6
Standings:
Group A:
Most of the games in this group were on Wednesday, starting with Fenerbahce’s 71-60 win over Wisla. Dynamo Kursk had a shockingly easy time in Praha, winning 73-49. Schio regained the edge on BLMA in the race for the final quarterfinals spot in the group after a 70-53 win. On Thursday, Gintare Petronyte and Mersin controlled the second half in Hungary to beat Gyor 73-54 and stay in the hunt for a consolation prize.
February 8, 2017
Fenerbahce vs. Wisla Can-Pack 71-60 FENE Lavender 14/8r Quigley 14 Stricklen 12 Gruda 6/6r Canitez 0 WIS Morrison 15/7r Ben Abdelkader 13 Ygueravide 12/7a Gidden 8/11r
ZVVZ USK Praha vs. Dynamo Kursk 49-73 ZVVZ Petrovic 14 Xargay 9 Burgrova 6 Vaughn 2 Dupree 2 Steinberga 0 KURS Kirillova 16 Vadeeva 11 McCoughtry 11 Prince 9 Cruz 7/8r Ogwumike 6/12r/7a
Famila Schio vs. BLMA 70-53 SCHI Miyem 10 Anderson 9/6r Martinez 9 Macchi 6 Ress 4/7r Masciadri 2 BLMA Sacko 14/12r Mann 9
February 9, 2017
Uni Gyor vs. Mersin 54-73 GYOR Hruscakova 10 Goree 8/8r Kiesel 8 MERS Petronyte 21/13r Abdi 14/8r Henry 11 Newlin 10/6r Robinson 1/8a
Standings:
Group B:
There was a rare Tuesday game to kick off the week in Ekaterinburg as UMMC beat Villeneuve 91-69. Wednesday’s games started in Orenburg, where Nadezhda beat Bourges 69-61. Avenida continues to hold the advantage to advancing as Jelena Milovanovic led them to an 84-67 win over Sopron. On Thursday, Hatay kept their recent momentum going with a 58-54 home win over Polkowice.
February 7, 2017
UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. ESVBA-LM 91-69 UMMC Griner 19 Meesseman 12/6r Taurasi 11 Toliver 11 Baric 9/6a Torrens 8 Lyttle 7 Belyakova 7 Nolan 4 ESBV Bremont 14/6r Stepanova 11 Amant 10 Gaye 10 Gomis 10 Iagupova 7/6a Ayayi 0
February 8, 2017
Nadezhda vs. Bourges 69-61 NADE Williams 15/12r Mitchell 11 Ouvina 10/6r Zahui B 8/7r BOUR Filip 12 Chartereau 11/6r Johannes 11 Alexander 8/8r
Perfumerias Avenida vs. Uniqa Sopron 84-67 AVEN Milovanovic 23 Elonu 19/6r Beard 11 Givens 10 Quevedo 7 Salvadores 2 Miloglav 0 Marginean 0 SOPR Johnson 15/8r Krnjic 15 Turner 15
February 9, 2017
Hatay vs. CCC Polkowice 58-54 HATA Turner 11/7r/6a Snytsina 11/6r Hurst 10 Stankovic 10 Paris 8/10r Tanacan 0 CCC Faulkner 13 Gala 12/6r Rezan 10 Harrison 8/6r
Standings: