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EuroLeague Final April 14th

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April 14, 2019

The final day of games started with the consolation game as Sopron was not able to send the home fans happy after a 64-53 loss to USK Praha.  The main event had plenty of hype and the game was close early, but Ekaterinburg started to establish control.  Hopes faded further for Dynamo Kursk when Breanna Stewart went down with an injury right before halftime, leaving them uncompetitive in a 91-67 loss despite Natasha Howard’s attempt to keep them in the game.  The two teams are set to square off in domestic league play now, but if the Stewart injury is serious, that takes the shine off what would be a more intriguing series with both teams limited from fielding their full rosters.

3rd Place:

Sopron vs. USK Praha 53-64 SOP Crvendakic 12/8r Turner 12 Dupree 9 Zahui B 6/7r USK Ayayi 14 Thomas 13/15r Harrison 12/14r Kat. Elhotova 10 Romero 2

Final:

Ekaterinburg vs. Dynamo Kursk 91-67 UMMC Vandersloot 18/8r/7a Griner 16/10r Vadeeva 14 Meesseman 13 McBride 12 Torrens 11/6r Baric 3 Belyakova 2 Musina 2 DYNK Howard 20 Stewart 12 Petrovic 9 Prince 8 Cruz 5 Xargay 3 Hollingsworth 2

EuroLeague Semifinals April 12th

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April 12, 2019

Both semifinals were on Friday in Hungary.  The first games stayed close in the first half, but Dynamo Kursk built a lead over USK Praha by halftime and then exploded out of the break to win 84-67 with the usual brilliance from Breanna Stewart and Natasha Howard and Sonja Petrovic further establishing their frontcourt dominance.  Hosts Sopron were looking to pull off another semifinal upset and avenge their defeat in last year’s final, starting well in front of another great crowd, but Ekaterinburg pushed their way back in front and then controlled the second half to win 81-59.  While the two losing teams will play first on Sunday, the main attraction will certainly be the final as no interlopers were able to upset the preseason favorites this time.

USK Praha vs. Dynamo Kursk 67-84 USK Ayayi 18/9r Thomas 14/9r Kat. Elhotova 10 Harrison 6/9r Romero 2 DYNK Stewart 32 Howard 22/10r Petrovic 20 Xargay 4 Prince 2 Cruz 2 Hollingsworth 0

Ekaterinburg vs. Sopron 81-59 UMMC Griner 19/8r Vandersloot 15/8r Torrens 13 McBride 12/6r Vadeeva 11 Meesseman 7/6r Belyakova 4 Baric 0 SOP Turner 15 Dupree 12/6r Zahui B 11/8r Crvendakic 10

EuroLeague Quarterfinals Game 2 March 8th

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March 8, 2019

All series continued on Friday with home teams needing wins to avoid elimination.  Valeriane Ayayi and USK Praha were ready to end the season early, leaving Fenerbahce fans disappointed again at this stage after a 77-65 loss.  TTT Riga competed against Emma Meesseman and Ekaterinburg, but were bounced out after a 77-55 loss, failing to do their part to keep the favorites from getting closer to their record number of titles.  Polkowice ended up being the closest to avoid being swept as the combination of Jasmine Thomas and Temi Fagbenle kept them in the game, but Breanna Stewart and Dynamo Kursk took care of business 81-77.  Sopron advanced to the next round again, although this was less of a surprise as they won 74-64 in Bourges.  The Final Four will take place on April 12th and 14th with one of the four teams hosting as all except Dynamo Kursk have hosted in recent years.

Fenerbahce vs. USK Praha 65-77 FENE Plum 17 Verameyenka 15 Stokes 10/12r Hartley 5 Vaughn 2 Zandalasini 2 Canitez 0 USK Ayayi 25 Thomas 13/10r/8a Kat. Elhotova 11 Harrison 9/9r Oblak 9 Romero 0

USK Praha wins series 2-0

TTT Riga vs. Ekaterinburg 55-77 TTTR Basko 13 Pulvere 11 Vitola 8/8r Peddy 7 Slaughter 5/6r Kreslina 3 Eglite 0 UMMC Meesseman 27/6r Griner 19/8r McBride 11/6r Vandersloot 9/9a Torrens 4/16r/7a Vadeeva 3/6r Baric 2 Musina 0 Belyakova 0

Ekaterinburg wins series 2-0

Polkowice vs. Dynamo Kursk 77-81 CCC Thomas 24 Fagbenle 23/8r Hayes 19 Leedham 6 DYNK Stewart 28/9r Prince 18 Howard 17/7r Petrovic 15/6r Hollingsworth 2 Cruz 1 Xargay 0

Dynamo Kursk wins series 2-0

Bourges vs. Sopron 64-74 BOUR Ouvina 12 Johannes 11 Raincock-Ekunwe 10/7r Plouffe 10 Sharp 2 SOP Jovanovic 18/10r Crvendakic 16/11r Dupree 13 Turner 8 Zahui B 8

Sopron wins series 2-0

EuroLeague Quarterfinals Game 1 March 5th

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March 5, 2019

All four series started on Tuesday, opening up in Ekaterinburg as Maria Vadeeva led the hosts past TTT Riga 78-45.  The other overwhelming favorites, Dynamo Kursk, were led by Breanna Stewart in an 89-53 win over Polkowice.  The closest game came at the home of the surprise finalists from last year as Yvonne Turner helped Sopron just edge out Marine Johannes and Bourges 66-65.  USK Praha sliced through Fenerbahce with unexpected ease for a 76-54.  The teams will swap venues for the next games on Friday as all the lower seeds know that they must win at home to force a deciding game.

Ekaterinburg vs. TTT Riga 78-45 UMMC Vadeeva 23/10r McBride 13/7r Griner 12 Meesseman 8 Musina 7 Belyakova 3 Vandersloot 3/10a Torrens 3 Baric 3 TTTR Kulite 15 Vitola 10 Peddy 7 Basko 5 Eglite 1 Kreslina 0

Dynamo Kursk vs. Polkowice 89-53 KURS Stewart 21 Howard 17/11r Prince 14 Xargay 9/8a Petrovic 5 Cruz 4 Hollingsworth 2 CCC Thomas 18/6r/6a Fagbenle 11/9r Hayes 7 Leedham 4

Sopron vs. Bourges 66-65 SOP Turner 22 Dupree 16/6r Casas 10/6r Zahui B 7 BOUR Johannes 24 Raincock-Ekunwe 15/6r Plouffe 12 Sharp 3

USK Praha vs. Fenerbahce 76-54 USK Kat. Elhotova 15 Thomas 14/10r/6a Rezan 12/7r Ayayi 9/6r Harrison 5/13r Romero 2 FENE Hartley 15 Plum 12 Canitez 5/8r Zandalasini 5 Vaughn 4 Stokes 4

EuroLeague Round 14 February 20th

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February 20, 2019

Group A:

Simultaneous action in this group was dramatic on Wednesday with spots still left up for grabs.  Temi Fagbenle and Polkowice that a win would clinch the last quarterfinals place, but Marija Rezan and USK Praha came back to win 79-74 as it was clear by the end of the game that the other results would favor the home team.  Ekaterinburg took care of Castors Braine 95-69 with neither team having much on the line.  Villeneuve also knew that a win would help secure the last spot in the EuroCup quarterfinals, but fellow French team Bourges did not offer a helping hand and won 78-74.  Schio knew that they would need a win and help and handled their end with an 82-50 pasting of Nadezhda, which spectacularly failed to even compete for the quarterfinals spot they could have won, leaving both teams in the EuroCup on vastly different trajectories.

Polkowice vs. USK Praha 74-79 CCC Fagbenle 23/7r Leedham 11 Hayes 10/6r J. Thomas 10 USK Rezan 22/12r Kat. Elhotova 17 A. Thomas 14/14r Oblak 13 Ayayi 11/13r Harrison 2

Castors Braine vs. Ekaterinburg 69-95 CAST Razheva 15/6r Christinaki 14 Mayombo 10 Samuelson 8 UMMC McBride 16 Musina 12/12r Vadeeva 10/7r Vandersloot 10/6a Petrushina 10 Griner 8/8r Torrens 7/6r Belyakova 5 Baric 5

Villeneuve vs. Bourges 74-78 ESBV Mendy 15/7r Kamba 13 Gomis 11 Evans 10/6r Bjorklund 8 BOUR Ouvina 19 Chartereau 17 Johannes 16 Plouffe 8/14r Raincock-Ekunwe 8/8r Sharp 3

Schio vs. Nadezhda 82-50 SCHI Quigley 18/6r Gruda 15/6r Gemelos 11 Dotto 11/11a Lisec 10 Lavender 6/8r Masciadri 3 NAD Jones 17/7r Shilova 12 Wheeler 9/8r

Standings:

  1. Ekaterinburg 13-1
  2. USK Praha 10-4
  3. Bourges 9-5
  4. Polkowice 7-7
  5. Nadezhda 7-7
  6. Schio 5-9
  7. Villeneuve 4-10
  8. Castors Braine 1-13

Group B:

All the games in this group were also on Wednesday.  Hatay’s collapse was complete after an 87-62 loss to Dynamo Kursk.  The teams in Riga had already advanced, but placement was on the line as Candice Dupree and Sopron won, which would ultimately leave TTT in the dreaded fourth position with the toughest quarterfinals matchup by far.  Charleville knew that they would need a win and help to grab the last EuroCup spot.  After getting the help from the group leaders, they forced overtime against Fenerbahce, prevailing 94-92 behind Haley Peters again.  The visitors were led by Kelsey Plum and Kia Vaughn and dropped to third with the result.  A meaningless game closed the day as Avenida beat Olympiacos 72-48.

Hatay vs. Dynamo Kursk 62-87 HATA Williams 19 Basaran 14/8r Snytsina 11 Gajic 8/10r DYNK Stewart 17 Zhedik 14 Petrovic 14 Howard 10 Hollingsworth 6/10r Cruz 6/8r Prince 6/6a Xargay 5

TTT Riga vs. Sopron 71-79 TTTR Vitola 18/12r Brumermane 16/8r Peddy 12 Kreslina 10 Basko 7 Eglite 0 SOP Dupree 23/10r Casas 14 Turner 14 Crvendakic 12 Zahui B 5/6r

Carolo vs. Fenerbahce 94-92(OT) CARO Peters 28/8r Bouderra 18/14a Hruscakova 15/6r Mosqueda-Lewis 13/6r FENE Plum 24 Vaughn 20 Hartley 18/7r/8a Verameyenka 12/8r Zandalasini 4 Canitez 0 Stokes 0

Avenida vs. Olympiacos 72-48 AVEN Loyd 17 Elonu 15 Robinson 11/10r Givens 8 Goree 6 OLY Thomas 12 Spyridopoulou 12 Johnson 5/7r Pavlopoulou 0

Standings:

  1. Dynamo Kursk 13-1
  2. Sopron 8-6
  3. Fenerbahce 8-6
  4. TTT Riga 8-6
  5. Avenida 7-7
  6. Carolo 5-9
  7. Hatay 5-9
  8. Olympiacos 2-12

Quarterfinals (team listed first hosts on March 5th and on March 13th if third game necessary while team listed second hosts March 8th):
Ekaterinburg vs. TTT Riga
Sopron vs. Bourges
USK Praha vs. Fenerbahce
Dynamo Kursk vs. Polkowice

Watch Final EuroLeague Regular Season Games Here Wednesday!

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All times listed are Central European, then Eastern Standard:

Hatay vs. Dynamo Kursk, 6:00pm/12:00pm:

Carolo vs. Fenerbahce, 6:00pm/12:00pm:

TTT Riga vs. Sopron, 6:30pm/12:30pm:

Schio vs. Nadezhda, 8:00pm/2:00pm:

Castors Braine vs. Ekaterinburg, 8:00pm/2:00pm:

Polkowice vs. USK Praha, 8:00pm/2:00pm:

Villeneuve vs. Bourges, 8:00pm/2:00pm:

Avenida vs. Olympiacos, 8:30pm/2:30pm: