With only 3 games to play, teams are starting to clinch spots in for the next stages of competition.

Group A:

Shenise Johnson had quite a performance as Good Angels Kosice went to Sopron and won 86-70, keeping themselves within touching distance of the last spot for the next round.  Dynamo Kursk got another solid effort from Nneka Ogwumike as they beat Avenida.  Proceedings in France went to overtime before visiting Schio could take the 73-70 win over Villeneuve as the visitors relied on the veteran presence of Laura Macchi.  The latest installment of Istanbul’s biggest rivalry was another close game with Fenerbahce escaping at home with a 57-56 win over Galatasaray to stay on top of the group.

Uniqa Sopron vs. Good Angels Kosice 70-86 SOP Ciglar 16 Krnjic 14/8r Simon 13 GAK Johnson 21/15r Jurcenkova 15/12r Zirkova 14/10a Langhorne 12/7r Hruscakova 10/7r Kissova 10

Dynamo Kursk vs. Perfumerias Avenida 77-64 KUR Ogwumike 22 Jekabsone-Zogota 15 Miyem 14/6r Augustus 8 Harding 6 Osipova 4 AVE Gidden 12/8r Ndour 12 Marginean 9 Rodriguez 9 Gemelos 7 Vitola 6 Liston 5

ESBVA-LM vs. Famila Schio 70-73 (OT) ESB Amant 17/11r Gomis-Halilovic 15 Mahoney 6 SCH Macchi 18/7r Anderson 11/9r Yacoubou 11/6r Sottana 10/8a Walker 9/9r Masciadri 8

Fenerbahce vs. Galatasaray 57-56 FEN Quigley 12 Coleman 10 Lavender 10 Hollingsworth 8 Canitez 0 Kobryn 0 Cakir 0 GAL Dubljevic 14 Yilmaz 10/6r Loyd 7 Martinez 7 Kizer 6

Standings:

1. Fenerbahce 6-1
2. Dynamo Kursk 5-2
3. Famila Schio 5-2
4. Galatasaray 4-3
5. Good Angels Kosice 3-4
6. ESBVA-LM 3-4
7. Perfumerias Avenida 1-6
8. Uniqa Sopron 1-6

Group B:

The round started with a rare Tuesday game in Belgium as Nadezhda let hosts Castors Braine get the early lead, then stifling them for a 67-47 win.  Kayla McBride and DeWanna Bonner led the way in the win as the team held Castors Braine to 20 points in the final 3 quarters after giving up 27 in the first period alone.  Wisla Krakow pulled themselves back into the picture by hanging on to a 67-66 win at home over AGU Spor with Cristina Ouvina and Yvonne Turner leading the way.  The much anticipated final rematch from last season did not disappoint as UMMC Ekaterinburg reversed the result from last time, winning 76-73.  Diana Taurasi was at her best in the win, which was needed because Katerina Elhotova could not be stopped on the other end.  Bourges also kept itself in the picture by going to Spain and winning 56-47 at Girona.  Celine Dumerc continues to take up more of a scoring role as Noemi Jordana continues to try to fill in the scoring gap on the other side.

Castors Braine vs. Nadezhda 47-67 CAS Hodges 12 Spencer 8 Wauters 7/9r Trahan-Davis 2/6r NAD McBride 18 Bonner 16/10r Anoikina 12 Beglova 11 Cruz 6/8r/6a Robinson 2/7r

Wisla Can-Pack vs. AGU Spor 67-66 WIS Ouvina 18 Turner 17 Nicholls 11/7r Peters 6/7r AGU Gray 15 Sanders 13/7r Dimitrakou 12 McCarville 7 Mazic 6/6r

UMMC Ekaterinburg vs ZVVK USK Praha 76-73 EKA Taurasi 19/6a Griner 15/9r Torrens 13 Gruda 6 Lyttle 6 Toliver 4 Baric 2 Nolan 0 USK Elhotova 25 Vaughn 16/13r Palau 12/12 Petrovic 12 Xargay 6 Burgrova 0 Robinson 0

Spar Citylift Girona vs. Bourges 47-56 GIR Jordana 19/6a Mingo 9 Mieloszynska-Zwolak 2 BOU Dumerc 21/6r/6a Page 8/8r Leedham 8 Tchatchouang 8 Hodges 2

Standings:

1. UMMC Ekaterinburg 6-1
2. Nadezhda 5-2
3. ZVVZ USK Praha 4-3
4. AGU Spor 4-3
5. Bourges 3-4
6. Wisla Can-Pack 3-4
7. Castors Braine 2-5
8. Spar Citylift Girona 1-6

Group A

The second half of the group stage started Wednesday as teams fight to be playing pan-continental basketball late into the season.  Villeneuve had a tricky time in Slovakia, needing overtime to grind out a win against Crystal Langhorne and Shenise Johnson powered Good Angels Kosice 60-55 as both teams look to stay in the hunt.  Even with roster adjustments, Dynamo Kursk rolled past Sopron 98-63 with Nneka Ogwumike and a near triple-double from Irina Osipova.  Avenida tried to climb back in the picture in Turkey, but Galatasaray closed the door on them with a 61-59 win thanks to Jewell Loyd.  The game for the top spot in the group in Italy saw visiting Fenerbahce escape Schio with a 64-62 win.  The shooting of Allie Quigley helped cancel out the inside presence of Isabelle Yacoubou.

Good Angels Kosice vs. ESBVA-LM 55-60 (OT) GAK Langhorne 20/11r Johnson 14/9r Oblak 11 Zirkova 4/8r Hruscakova 0 ESB Mahoney 16/7r Sacko 15/8r Gomis-Halilovic 12

Dynamo Kursk vs. Uniqa Sopron 98-63 KUR Ogwumike 20/6r Miyem 14 Jekabsone-Zogota 12 Eldebrink 12 Osipova 10/11r/9a Augustus 6 Harding 5 SOP Krnjic 18/10r Fegyverneky 14 Ciglar 10 [Read more…]

Games this week got a rare Tuesday start as Castors Braine built a big lead on their Spanish visitors in Belgium on their way to a 73-60 win.  Defending champions USK Praha are still trying to get their healthy full strength roster together as they were unable to win in Orenburg in Russia as Nadezhda held on by a 58-54 margin.  The team they beat in the final, UMMC Ekaterinburg, remains the only unbeaten team after they dominated the second half in Poland to win 88-52 over Wisla Krakow, which stays winless.  An exciting game in France closed Wednesday Group B action as Bourges needed overtime to overcome their visitors from Abdullah Gul University 63-57, earning their first win of the season and handing the Turkish team their first loss.

All of the Group A games were on Wednesday, starting in Russia, where an overwhelming performance by Nneka Ogwumike powered Dynamo Kursk past their Italian visitors 63-58.  It was also close in Slovakia as Good Angels Kosice welcomed Turkey’s Galatasaray and won 54-59.  Sopron built an early lead in Hungary, but Spain’s Avenida fought back and nearly completed a comeback before losing 73-67.  Fenerbahce made the trip from Turkey to France and trailed heading into the final quarter at Villeneuve before a huge run helped them to a 69-55 win to close out another exciting week of EuroLeague action as teams continue to fight for quarterfinal spots.

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