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EuroLeague Final Four Semifinals April 15th

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The Final Four started in Istanbul Friday with the rematch of the Final from a year ago.  UMMC Ekaterinburg was favored again and took a lead heading into halftime after an even first quarter.  Their lead was enough to hold up off the defending champs even though USK Praha found their offense in the final frame. USK came up short 78-72, leaving them unable to complete a third high profile surprise.  The Russian team was led by Diana Taurasi as their new frontcourt rotation looked solid, with the team looking to finish exorcising the rest of their demons at this stage.  Anete Steinberga proved to be a helpful signing in the loss as Sonja Petrovic also had another good game, but their efforts were not enough without some additional options.  The hosts from Fenerbahce were in the second game and the second quarter proved to be the difference maker again as Nadezhda took the lead they would hold in a 74-68 win.  DeWanna Bonner helped set up the all-Russian final as she could not be stopped by the personnel available to the hosts.  Jantel Lavender worked hard inside, keeping her team in the game early, but it was not enough.  Now the four teams will complete the tournament on Sunday. USK vs. Fenerbahce will play for third place and UMMC and Nadezhda will compete in the final.

April 15, 2016

ZVVZ USK Praha vs. UMMC Ekaterinburg 72-78 USK Steinberga 21/10r Petrovic 21 Vaughn 10/7r Elhotova 5 Burgrova 4 Xargay 3 EKA Taurasi 21 Griner 19/6r Meesseman 13/9r Toliver 10 Lyttle 4/9r Torrens 2/8r Belyakova 0 Nolan 0

Fenerbahce vs. Nadezhda 68-74 FEN Lavender 24/11r Quigley 15 Hollingsworth 8 Coleman 8 Nacickaite 5 Cakir 0 NAD Bonner 20/8r Cruz 13/6r McBride 12 Robinson 10 Anoikina 10

EuroLeague Final Four Preview

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The last four teams standing descend on Istanbul’s Ulker Sports Arena for the Final Four with games on Friday and Sunday.  There are plenty of stories to follow as another European Champion will be crowned.

ZVVZ USK Praha vs. UMMC Ekaterinburg:

These two teams are familiar foes after facing off in last year’s final and then in the SuperCup final, both won by USK Praha in surprising fashion.  The two teams also faced off in the regular season with UMMC Ekaterinburg winning both times to dispel any notions that they could not win.

The defending champions have kept key parts of their roster intact for their title defense.  Sonja Petrovic has been the key player again, but Kia Vaughn has increased her role from a year ago.  The team’s success last season was fueled by the ability of their guards to dictate tempo.  Laia Palau will be pulling the strings and keeping the offense humming again while Marta Xargay will offer a change of pace.  The team also added a late addition to the roster in the form of Anete Steinberga, who has seemed to integrate herself into the roster quickly.  Katerina Elhotova has also provided additional floor spacing capabilities all season long.  Compared to other teams, the level of competition that they have faced since the quarterfinals has been weaker, which makes it difficult to tell exactly how well they are playing even with the overwhelming scorelines.  Unlike last year, this team will not be sneaking up on anyone, but the confidence and experience from their performances in the past should help them give a good account of themselves.

UMMC Ekaterinburg enters as the favorites again with the strongest roster, but they will be mindful of their inability to win either of the last two titles with similar levels of talent.  Diana Taurasi has treated the entire season as a woman on a mission and she is well rested for these key games.  Emma Meesseman was added to the roster late and she has immediately come in and strengthened an already formidable frontcourt alongside Brittney Griner and Sancho Lyttle.  The team will also be looking for Alba Torrens to provide an extra spark of creativity.  While Taurasi may carry the team to the title herself, there is room for another player to step up besides their usual key contributors.  The veteran presence of Deanna Nolan or some fire from a domestic player could help them return to their ultimate goal.  Kristi Toliver has been playing a more complementary role for most of the season, but this could be her chance to step to the front.

Fenerbahce vs. Nadezhda:

The hosts will look forward to a rowdy home crowd to spur them on in a quest for the title.  They enter with the best record over the course of the competition, not even taking their foot off the gas pedal after clinching the top spot in their group.  All season long, they have relied on the trio of Allie Quigley, Jantel Lavender, and Marissa Coleman for scoring.  Anastasia Verameyenka and Quanitra Hollingsworth have been unsung heroes for the team, but timely contributions from the role players, especially more shooting could be the key in a critical situation.  Kamile Nacickaite has not fully found her rhythm after the team smartly picked her up midseason, but a good performance from her or one of the three key local players, Birsel Vardarli, Olcay Cakir, or Tugce Canitez could shift the tide.

Nadezhda, on the other hand, is flying well under the radar compared to the other three teams.  Their consistent performances landed them home court advantage in the quarterfinals and they completed the sweep to make it here.  In contrast to other teams, Nadezhda has kept a consistent roster and the players have complemented one another nicely.  DeWanna Bonner is the leader, but the other three players have stepped into bigger roles when necessary.  With Anna Cruz providing creativity, Kayla McBride adding scoring punch, and Angel Robinson protecting the paint alongside Bonner’s versatility, the team will need one of its Russian players to also contribute to maximize their chances against two difficult opponents.

Andrew’s picks:

Semifinals:  USK Praha 68 UMMC Ekaterinburg 64

Fenerbahce 74 Nadezhda 65

Third Place: UMMC Ekaterinburg 85 Nadezhda 66

Final: Fenerbahce 73 USK Praha 70

MVP: Allie Quigley

Admin’s picks: 

 Semifinals: UMMC Ekaterinburg 65  USK Praha 54

Fenerbahce 70 Nadezhda 64

Third Place:

Nadezhda 73 USK Praha 62

Final:

UMMC Ekaterinburg 79 Fenerbahce 74

MVP: Diana Taurasi 

EuroLeague Quarterfinals Game 3 March 16th

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There was only one series decided on Wednesday with only one more spot to fill.  The game was close in the first half in Russia, but UMMC Ekaterinburg used a stern homecourt advantage to pull away in the second half and beat Galatasaray 86-66.  Diana Taurasi would not be denied the chance to avenge last season as she led all scorers and helped set up the rest of the stars on the team.

March 16, 2016

UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. Galatasaray 86-66 EKA Taurasi 26/6a Torrens 15 Griner 14/6r Lyttle 14 Belyakova 5 Meesseman 4 Toliver 3/6r Nolan 0 Baric 0 GAL Dubljevic 17 Yilmaz 14 Wauters 12 Loyd 9/6a Kizer 6/8r

UMMC Ekaterinburg wins series 2-1

The four teams are now set for the Final Four.  The highlight will definitely be the latest installment of the series between USK Praha and UMMC Ekaterinburg that will be a rematch of last year’s championship, among other big games.  The other game will feature Fenerbahce against Nadezhda.  Those two teams are likely to have a slight advantage in being awarded hosting privileges if all four teams express interest.  Praha and Ekaterinburg have more recently hosted the event.  Istanbul has also hosted recently, but not at the home arena of Fenerbahce with Orenburg an option if a new host is to be chosen.

EuroLeague Quaterfinals Game 2 March 11th

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Teams looked to complete sweeps in Game 2s on Friday.  Fenerbahce did so in Poland, closing out the day with a 79-63 win over Wisla Krakow.  The defending champions also return to the final four as Katerina Elhotova fired USK Praha past Schio 86-53.  The series that did not end in a sweep was a surprise as Galatasaray held off UMMC Ekaterinburg 66-57 in Turkey to send the series back to Russia on Wednesday.  The series featuring two Russian teams ended in a sweep as Nadezhda was able to overcome a good game from Endene Miyem for Dynamo Kursk with their own great effort from DeWanna Bonner to win 73-70.  There is only one more spot to be filled as we get closer to crowing a champion in Europe.

March 11, 2016

Wisla Can-Pack vs. Fenerbahce 63-79 WIS Stallworth 17 Ouvina 16/7a Turner 13 FEN Lavender 15 Quigley 15/7a Hollingsworth 13 Coleman 13 Cakir 6 Nacickaite 5 Canitez 0

Fenerbahce wins series 2-0

ZVVZ USK Praha vs. Famila Schio 86-53 USK Kat. Elhotova 24 Steinberga 19 Xargay 15 Petrovic 11/12r Vaughn 10/6r Burgrova 1 SCH Masciadri 16 Yacoubou 13/7r Walker 6 Anderson 4/8r Macchi 3 Ress 0

ZVVZ USK Praha wins series 2-0

Galatasaray vs. UMMC Ekaterinburg 66-57 GAL Kizer 16/16r Wauters 12/6r Yilmaz 12 Loyd 9 Dubljevic 5 EKA Meesseman 15/6r Taurasi 13/8r Torrens 9 Griner 7 Toliver 5 Nolan 0 Baric 0 Belyakova 0

Series tied 1-1

Dynamo Kursk vs. Nadezhda 70-73 KUR Miyem 24/7r Augustus 18 Ogwumike 13/16r Jekabsone-Zogota 9 Harding 4 Osipova 0 Eldebrink 0 NAD Bonner 21/8r Anoikina 18 Robinson 17/15r McBride 10/6r/6a Cruz 5/6a

Nadezhda wins series 2-0

EuroLeague Quarterfinals Game 1 March 8th

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Game 1s in all of the quarterfinals series were played on Tuesday.  Fenerbahce took a while a to get going against a surprisingly resilient Wisla Krakow team led by Yvonne Turner, but Jantel Lavender and company eventually got the 79-70.  The defending champions controlled the second half in Italy as Kia Vaughn led USK Praha to the 68-56 win at Schio, ending up as the only victorious road team.  UMMC Ekterinburg let Galatasaray get a first quarter lead in Russia, but eventually rolled to a 72-56 win.  The battle of Russian teams in Orenburg went to Nadezhda 78-68 as Nneka Ogumike did not quite get enough help from her Dynamo Kursk teammates to counter the balance of the hosts.

March 8, 2016

Fenerbahce vs. Wisla Can-Pack 79-70 FEN Lavender 24/6r Verameyenka 15 Coleman 13 Quigley 12 Hollingsworth 5 Cakir 5 Nacickaite 0 Canitez 0 WIS Turner 23 Nicholls 10 Stallworth 7/7r

Famila Schio vs. ZVVZ USK Praha 56-68 SCH Anderson 13/6r Walker 12/7r Macchi 10 Yacoubou 9/9r Ress 1 Masciadri 0 USK Vaughn 23/11r Xargay 9 Elhotova 8 Petrovic 7/7r/6a Burgrova 6

UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. Galatasaray 72-56 EKA Taurasi 17/6a Meesseman 14/7r Torrens 12 Griner 10/11r Toliver 10 Nolan 2 Lyttle 0 Belyakova 0 GAL Loyd 19 Wauters 8/8r Dubljevic 4/6r Yilmaz 3 Kizer 2

Nadezhda vs. Dynamo Kursk 78-68 NAD McBride 18 Anoikina 16 Bonner 14/8r Robinson 13/11r Cruz 8 KUR Ogumike 22 Harding 10/9r Miyem 10 Osipova 6 Jekabsone-Zogota 5 Eldebrink 0

EuroLeague Final 8 Preview and Predictions

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euroleague women

All teams will be in action as the EuroLeague women resume play with their quarter-finals on March 8th. The higher seeded teams will play their first game at home with the second games on the road on March 11th. There are some great match-ups ahead and outside of UMMC Ekaterinburg no one has been quite as dominant. Travel may be a factor for some teams as there isn’t much time for recovery with only two days in between games one and two. The quarter-finals is a best of three series so if necessary, game three will be played on March 16th. The winners of the series will advance to the final four. The EuroLeague Women Final Four will be played from April 15th to the 17th with one of the the four participating teams hosting the event.

The EuroLeague Women Quarter-Final pairings are as follows:
Fenerbahce v Wisla Can-Pack Krakow
Beretta Famila Schio v ZVVZ USK Prague
UMMC Ekaterinburg v Galatasaray
Nadezhda Orenburg v Dynamo Kursk
Fenerbahce vs. Wisla Can-Pack (Fenerbahce 2-0)
Fenerbahce has been one of the most impressive teams during the EuroLeague regular season. They finished on top of the standings in Group A with a record of 12-2 with their two losses coming from Familia Schio and Dynamo Kursk who finished second and third respectively in the group. After losing the first game of the competition to Dynamo Kursk, Fenerbahce went on a tear winning their next 11 games before losing to the Italian league leaders Familia Schio. On the other hand Wisla Can-Pack had a roller-coaster regular season which saw them lose their first four games of the competition before finally getting their first win against Bourges Basket. They then went on a five game winning streak before sliding downhill once again and going on a three game losing streak. Their prospects looked bleak for making it out of group play but after Agu Spor went on a six game losing streak to finish the season they saw a glimmer of hope. Wisla unexpectedly won a thriller at home against Nadezhda who finished second behind UMMC in Group B 54-51 which set them up for a chance to advance if they could beat AGU Spor in which they did.

Now their toughest test will be against high-flying Fenerbahce who finished the regular season 5th in points per game, 1st in total rebounds, 3rd in assists and 3rd in points allowed. Wisla finished no higher than 13th in any one of the categories. Alexandria Quigley leads Fener in scoring with 14.8 points per game with Jantel Lavender controlling the inside averaging 13.4 points per game and a team high 8.4 rebounds per game. All season long Fenerbahce has found a way to win; four games were won by only five points or less. They’ve been tested this entire season and have been one of the most consistent teams throughout unlike Wisla who squeezed their way into the final 8. However, Wisla shouldn’t count themselves out. After two very impressive wins to finish the regular season, they should have confidence heading into to Turkey on Tuesday. I don’t think there was anyone outside of their locker room who thought they could actually beat Nadezhda Orenburg and they did. So here they are again, presumably facing a lost cause, with the chance to prove everyone wrong. My guess is they will put up a good fight but Fenerbahce is too deep and too talented to lose this series. I’m picking Fener to win the series in two games.

Beretta Famila Schio vs. ZVVZ USK Prague (USK Prague 2-1)

This will be one of the most competitive match-ups in the final eight competition. Defending EuroLeague Champions USK Praha will face Familia Schio in which no team has a clear cut advantage. Schio finished second in Group A behind Fenerbahce while USK finished third in Group B behind Russian powerhouses UMMC and Nadezhda Orenburg. The only advantage that may be had is that USK are the defending champions and that could go a long way with confidence and experience. However, Schio is just as experienced although they didn’t make it out of group play last season. Schio has some impressive wins against Galatasaray and Fenerbache and they also fare well in statistical standings ranking second in total points and rebounds. USK had an up and down regular season finishing with an 8-6 record and losing their last two games. Their addition of Candice Dupree midway through the season provided a huge boost for the squad but she didn’t play in their last game because of a broken finger. Hopefully she will be ready to go for the quarter-finals. Despite USK having an average season at best they are still my choice to win this series. I think this series will be a hard fought three games with the defending champions moving on to a second consecutive final four appearance where they know anything can happen!

UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. Galatasaray (UMMC 2-0)

This match-up will probably be like a thank you for participating series where UMMC will dominate for two games and send Galatasaray packing up their EuroLeague luggage. UMMC finished the regular season with a 12-2 record which was good enough for first place in Group B. With a loaded roster which includes mega star Diana Taurasi, Britney Griner, Sancho Lyttle, Kristi Toliver and Alba Torrens I don’t see anyone other than UMMC celebrating another EuroLeague championship after last winning in 2013. Galatasaray enlisted some reinforcement with the addition of veteran Ann Wauters but even her services won’t be enough to to see them get past this hurdle. If anything, we are all hoping for at least a competitive series. I think it’s safe to say that the end of the road for Galatasaray will be at home on March 11th with UMMC taking the series 2-0 and advancing to the final four.

Nadezhda Orenburg vs Dynamo Kursk (Orenburg 2-1)

This will also be another very competitive match-up as the two other Russian powerhouses don’t have to  leave their country for this series. Game one will be played in Orenburg as they finished second in Group B with a 9-5 record where Dynamo Kursk finished third in Group A with a 10-4 record. Orenburg, led by Dewanna Bonner who leads her team in scoring with 16.6 points per game had two very disappointing losses to end their regular season to Castors Braine and Wisla Can-Pack. Despite those losses Orenburg has been one of the better teams throughout the competition. They were one of the two teams to beat UMMC during group play. Dynamo Kursk finished their regular season on a four game winning streak. After losing Epiphany Prince early on in the season Dynamo brought in Lindsey Harding as her replacement. They rank first in assists in EuroLeague play which is a big reason for their success; everyone shares the ball. The most consistent player for the Russian squad has been Nneka Ogwumike who is averaging 17.7 points per game and 8.6 rebounds while shooting nearly 60% from the field!  Both teams are familiar with one another as they have faced each other in their domestic league play. Orenburg has been the winner in both contests so far this season. For that reason and the fact that Orenburg has been the better team during the EuroLeague competition I think they will win the series in three games. Dynamo will win at least one contest but if Orenburg is at their best they are a very hard team to beat.

EuroCup Quarter-Final pairings confirmed

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February 11, 2016

After the EuroLeague women completed their regular season last night the teams that would drop down and play in the EuroCup quarter-finals were determined. Teams that finished in fifth and six place in Group’s A and B of the EuroLeague were entered into the lottery with the four remaining teams from the EuroCup. The drawing was held Thursday afternoon in FIBA’s Munich offices. Here are the results; 

Besiktas Istanbul v Agu Spor Kayseri

Aluinvent Miskolc v Basket Landes

ESBVA-LM v Good Angels Kosice

Tango Bourges Basket v Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje

The quarter-finals will be played with the same format that determined the current final four teams from the EuroCup. There will be a home and away game with the side having the better aggregate score moving on to the Semi-Finals. The Semi-Finals and Finals will be played with the same format. The first leg of the Quarter-Finals is scheduled to be played on March 8th and the return leg on the 11th of March. The two teams that play in the finals will have the change to compete in the EuroLeague next season. 

One of the most interesting match-ups will be between cross country rivals Besiktas and Agu Spor Kayseri. In their domestic league Agu currently sits in fourth place while Besiktas is in eighth. However, Agu Spor were the biggest letdown in EuroLeague competition losing the last six games of their campaign after having a solid start while Besiktas won three of their last four and knocked off higher seeded Reyer to punch their ticket to the final four in the Eurocup Competition. Agu Spor beat Besiktas in Round 6 of the Turkish league and they face each other again on the 13th of this month. I have a feeling this game will have a higher level of importance and could be a confidence booster for either side going in the the quarter-finals.

Two EuroLeague teams will face each other with Good Angels taking on Villeneuve d’Ascq. Villeneuve were EuroCup champions last season and will look to defend their title. Good Angels and Villeneuve split their EuroLeague matchup with both teams winning once against the other. Good Angels won more recently defeating Villeneuve on their home court by 30 points! This should give Good Angels a lot of confidence going up against the French squad.

Bourges and Spartak should be an interesting matchup. An experienced Bourges with Celine Dumerc leading the way will be a tough matchup for the youthful Russian team. Leading the way for Spartak will be Emma Meesseman who is averaged 14.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in EuroCup play thus far! Spartak will have to play the first leg of the competition in France. If they can at least keep the game close, anything is possible once they return to Russia. 

The last two teams both competed in the EuroCup competition this season. Hungarian squad Aluinvent Miskolc will take on Basket Landes in the quarter-finals. Miskolc was the only team in the competition to finish the regular season undefeated. Landes finished with a record of 8-2. Miskolc are probably the favorites of this series but I wouldn’t count Landes out as they finished their season on a high note winning their last three games of the competition. Landes will play their first game of the series at home so hopefully they can pull out a win in front of their home crowd. Get a win at home, and anything is possible when you go into the second game with the advantage.

EuroLeague Round 14 Recap

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It was the last day of the group stage on Wednesday as plenty of teams still had a lot to play for.  There were still several quarterfinal spots on the line and seeding implications for the teams that qualified.  Four teams will drop down to the knockout rounds of EuroCup, meaning that only the bottom two teams in each group would be done with cross country competitions after the day.

Group A:

Fenerbahce dispelled any notion that they might help their rivals out as Jantel Lavender and Allie Quigley condemned Jewell Loyd and Galatasaray to the toughest quarterfinal matchup with a 71-60 win.  Good Angels Kosice took care of business against a Sopron side that will be happy to be done with the competition after a horrendous campaign.  Schio jumped up to take second place and home court advantage as Isabelle Yacoubou led them to a 75-57 win.  Villeneuve lost, but still ended up joining the Slovakian team in EuroCup because of the result of the other late game.  Dynamo Kursk went to Spain and eliminated Avenida 72-66 as Anete Jekabsone-Zogota led the way.

Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahce 60-71 GAL Loyd 22 Kizer 16 Yilmaz 2 Martinez 0 FEN Lavender 26 Quigley 21 Coleman 10 Canitez 0 Hollingsworth 0 Cakir 0 Nacickaite 0

Good Angels Kosice vs. Uniqa Sopron 81-53 GAK Johnson 18 Oblak 18 Langhorne 16/9r Stehlikova 11 Zirkova 5 SOP Krnjic 14/7r Lelas 11 Ciglar 10

Famila Schio vs. ESBVA-LM 75-57 SCH Yacoubou 26 Macchi 11 Walker 6 Masciadri 5 Anderson 4 Ress 3 ESB Gomis-Halilovic 15 Mahoney 12 Bremont 11

Perfumerias Avenida vs. Dynamo Kursk 66-72 AVE Ndour 16/11r Dominguez 12 Gemelos 11 Gidden 9 Marginean 8 Kobryn 4/9r Rodriguez 4 Beard 2 KUR Jekabsone-Zogota 25/7r Miyem 11 Ogwumike 10 Osipova 8/9r Harding 8/6r

Standings:

  1. Fenerbahce 12-2
  2. Famila Schio 10-4
  3.  Dynamo Kursk 10-4
  4. Galatasaray 9-5
  5. Good Angels Kosice 5-9
  6. ESBVA-LM 5-9
  7. Perfumerias Avenida 4-10
  8. Uniqa Sopron 1-13

[Read more…]

EuroLeague Round 13 Recap

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With only two games to play, Wednesday was filled with action as teams fought for a small number of spots and qualified teams jockeyed for seeding position in the quarterfinals.

Group A

Nneka Ogwumike was the ringleader for Dynamo Kursk as they eased past last place and firmly eliminated Sopron 102-68.  More impressive was Schio’s 66-60 win at Fenerbahce, which also kept them in the hunt for second place.  It is not clear how much Fenerbahce was concerned about winning since they already clinched first place, but Jantel Lavender showed no signs of slowing down.  A game that only matters for the EuroCup places went overwhelmingly to Good Angels Kosice 78-48 as Villeneuve missed a big opportunity.  Galatasaray was led by Lynetta Kizer as they stayed in the big tie for second place with a 62-49 win at Avenida, which still fights for that last EuroCup spot.

In next week games, Good Angels Kosice can put themselves in good position simply by beating Sopron in Slovakia.  Galatasaray figures to get a test from rivals Fenerbahce as they try to gain positioning.  Villeneuve could be in trouble for staying in any competition if they lose to Schio in Italy.  Avenida will host Dynamo Kursk in the other game as they try to at least make the EuroCup while the visitors try to maintain second place.

Uniqa Sopron vs. Dynamo Kursk 68-102 SOP Crvendakic 14 Fegyverneky 13 Lelas 11 Krnjic 6 KUR Ogwumike 22/8r Vidmer 19/9r Jekabsone-Zogota 18 Miyem 10/9r Augustus 6 Harding 5 Osipova 0

Fenerbahce vs. Famila Schio 60-66 FEN Lavender 20/7r Cakir 10 Coleman 8/7r Quigley 8 Nacickaite 6 Canitez 2 Hollingsworth 0 SCH Yacoubou 12/11r Anderson 12/6r Walker 11/6r Masciadri 9 Ress 3/6r Macchi 3

ESBVA-LM vs. Good Angels Kosice 48-78 ESB Sacko 9 Amant 9 Mahoney 6 GAK Johnson 14 Oblak 14 Jurcenkova 13/8r Langhorne 10/9r Hruscakova 8 Zirkova 2

Perfumerias Avenida vs. Galatasaray 49-62 AVE Gemelos 9 Marginean 9 Ndour 7/6r Beard 7 Gidden 5 Rodriguez 3 Kobryn 2/8r Vitola 1 GAL Kizer 19 Loyd 9/6r Yilmaz 9 Martinez 3 [Read more…]

EuroLeague Round 12 Recap

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Group A:

Dynamo Kursk qualified for the quarterfinals and helped out the other teams by beating Villeneuve 66-49.  Galatasaray joins them as Lynetta Kizer and Nevriye Yilmaz led them to an 81-56 win over Sopron.  Avenida missed a chance to solidify their shot at a EuroCup place by falling victim to a comeback by Jantel Lavender and Fenerbahce 64-59.  The final spot was decided as Jolene Anderson helped Schio get going early against Good Angels Kosice, easing to an 89-63 win despite the best efforts of Crystal Langhorne.  While the top spot and the other three teams moving on have been decided, the three way tie for second place creates an interesting battle as teams fight for seeding.

Dynamo Kursk vs. ESBVA-LM 66-49 KUR Jekabsone-Zogota 14 Ogwumike 13/7r Miyem 11 Harding 8 Augustus 8 Osipova 6 ESB Sacko 11 Kaltsidou 11

Galatasaray vs. Uniqa Sopron 81-56 GAL Kizer 22/8r Yilmaz 20/10r Loyd 15 Dubljevic 12/7a Martinez 5 SOP Lelas 12/9r Ciglar 10 Krnjic 1

Fenerbahce vs. Perfumerias Avenida 64-59 FEN Lavender 21/8r Quigley 11/8r Coleman 10 Hollingsworth 7/9r Nacickaite 4 Cakir 2 AVE Ndour 14/7r Marginean 14 Dominguez 12 Gemelos 8 Vitola 7 Kobryn 2 Rodriguez 2 Gidden 0/6r

Famila Schio vs. Good Angels Kosice 89-63 SCH Anderson 29/6r Yacoubou 12 Walker 10/7r Macchi 9 Masciadri 6 Ress 0 GAK Langhorne 20/10r Johnson 13/8r Hruscakova 6 Zirkova 3

Standings:

  1. Fenerbahce 11-1
  2. Dynamo Kursk 8-4
  3. Famila Schio 8-4
  4. Galatasaray 8-4
  5. ESBVA-LM 5-7
  6. Perfumerias Avenida 4-8
  7. Good Angels Kosice 3-9
  8. Uniqa Sopron 1-11

[Read more…]