The first series finished up on Thursday in Orenburg.  Nadezhda brought home a small margin and Cukurova erased it in the first half, but the hosts rallied after halftime to take it back, hanging on to an outright 76-74 win and the 136-132 aggregate win.  Alina Iagupova was at her brilliant best for the visitors, but they now drop down to EuroCup and still have a fairy tale to write.  Friday’s first game was the most simple series mathematically as the tie in the first game meant that the teams would play with the winner advancing.  Olympiacos started well on the road in Krakow, but Wisla fought back in the second half as the scoring in the first quarter gave way to a grinder of a game, but the visitors did enough to win 47-46 and add some wider representation to the tournament.  That theme continued in the next game as TTT expanded their lead early against Reyer winning 73-56 for a final margin of 140-112 as having one Latvian player in Anete Steinberga proved not to be enough for the hosts.  The last game was played on Wednesday as Magali Mendy and Villeneuve cut the deficit by halftime and then controlled the second half to beat Frida Eldebrink and Szekszard 77-61 and advance 145-132 on aggregate to complete the group picture.

October 11, 2018

Nadezhda vs. Cukurova 76-74 NAD Ygueravide 18/13a Shilova 17 Jones 11/12r Bulgak 8 CUKU Iagupova 26/8a Ndour 17 Uzun 12 Ervin 10/10r Mestdagh 7

Nadezhda advances 136-132

October 12, 2018

Wisla Krakow vs. Olympiacos 46-47 WISL Rodriguez 17 Canada 14/7r Russell 9 Conde 0 Oroszova 0 OLY Spyridopoulou 12 Thomas 7 Johnson 6/9r Pavlopoulou 6 Mazic 4/7r

Olympiacos advances 110-109

Reyer Venezia vs. TTT Riga 56-73 VENE Steinberga 20/12r Bestagno 10 Goree 10 Anderson 2 Gulich 0 TTTR Peddy 16 Vitola 14/9r Kreslina 11 Basko 10 Slaughter 9 Eglite 0

TTT Riga advances 140-112

October 17, 2018

Villeneuve vs. Szekszard 77-61 ESBV Mendy 21/11r Evans 14 Bar 11 Bjorklund 10 Diallo 10 SZEK Eldebrink 20 Kiss 12 McCall 10/6r Bishop 4/7r

Villeneuve advances 145-132

Groups:
A: Schio, Nadezhda, Ekaterinburg, Polkowice, Bourges, Villeneuve, USK Praha, Castors Braine
B: Avenida, Olympiacos, Dynamo Kursk, Carolo, Sopron, TTT Riga, Fenerbahce, Hatay

The first of four qualifying series started on Monday.  Cukurova was hosting in Turkey as they had to deal with plenty of late unexpected roster news as they were trying to make the big jump from the second division to EuroLeague in two years.  Nadezhda’s experience at this level showed early as they took a big lead, but the hosts rallied late to pull within 60-58 thanks to the player that they have entrusted the ball with for two seasons, Alina Iagupova, which leaves the series poised delicately ahead of Thursday’s game in Orenburg.  Two more series started on Tuesday with both schedule to finish on Friday.  The two game format can lead to some unusual results, none more so than what happened in Greece as the teams finished tied at 63, eliminating any need for complex calculations in the next game.  Olympiacos handed Pinelopi Pavlopoulou her professional debut, but will feel like they have a tough task to break into Europe’s elite when they go to Poland, where Wisla will be looking to draw on their vast experience at this level.  TTT, the overwhelming leader in titles in this competition is trying to qualify again and they beat Anete Steinberga and Reyer 67-56 in Latvia for a solid start before the next game in Italy.  On Wednesday, an intriguing game in Hungary saw Villeneuve show their experience early only to see Szekszard control the middle quarters before the French side pulled closer late to lose 71-68, which puts them in a reasonable position for the next game in week.

October 8, 2018

Cukurova vs. Nadezhda Orenburg 58-60 CUKU Iagupova 21 Ndour 10 Mestdagh 6 Ervin 3 Ozelci 0 NAD Jones 13/11r Bulgak 13 Ygueravide 10

October 9, 2018

Olympiacos vs. Wisla Krakow 63-63 OLY Sotiriou 12 Pavlopoulou 12 Johnson 10/8r Thomas 10 Mazic 5/6r WISL Conde 14 Rodriguez 14 Russell 12/9r Canada 10/10a Oroszova 6

TTT Riga vs. Reyer Venezia 67-56 TTTR Peddy 19 Krastina 12/6a Vitola 9/9r Basko 8 Slaughter 7 Kreslina 0 Eglite 0 VENE Steinberga 21/10r Anderson 10/9r Gulich 3 Goree 2

October 10, 2018

Szekszard vs. Villeneuve 71-68 SZEK Jovanovic 14 Studer 13 Gereben 10 McCall 10 Eldebrink 10 Bishop 3 ESBV Mendy 15/7a Bremont 14/6a Evans 12/7r Bjorklund 5

April 22, 2018

The final was played on Sunday.  Ekaterinburg showed their edge in talent early, building a lead.  Sopron reduced the margin several times as they tried to get the crowd behind them again, but they fell short 72-53.  The favorites got their title after a midseason retooling as they now look to extend domestic dominance.  Yvonne Turner led the hosts, which found a way to scrap their way to results after forced roster changes of their own.  The day started with the third place game as both teams looked to recapture momentum ahead of a tough domestic league postseason.  Sonja Petrovic and Kursk finished their campaign with only one loss, beating Elin Eldebrink and Yakin Dogu University 87-82.

Final:

UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. Sopron 72-53 UMMC Meesseman 19/9r Moore 17/7a Griner 16/9r Belyakova 5 Torrens 4 Sanders 4 Toliver 4/7a SOP Turner 21 Milovanovic 13 Page 9/7r Crvendakic 2 Salvadores 0/6r

3rd Place:

Dynamo Kursk vs. Yakin Dogu Universitesi 87-82 KURS Petrovic 24 Zhedik 18 Vadeeva 16/7r Ogwumike 12 Cruz 9/8a McCoughtry 5 YDU Eldebrink 21 McBride 17 Lavender 15/9r Gruda 11/6r Hollingsworth 8/7r Cakir 2

April 20, 2018

The semifinals were played in Sopron on Friday.  The first game was the highly anticipated clash of Russian powerhouses.  Neither team had their naturalized Russian guards as they fielded lineups that were not possible in their last domestic league clash.  Ekaterinburg has looked like a different team since Maya Moore joined and she led the way in the 84-77 win Angel McCoughtry led Dynamo Kursk.  After the games on Sunday, the two teams will now be prepared to do battle at least three more times, but with reduced lineups with stricter foreign player limitations in domestic league play.  That set the stage for the hosts to take on Yakin Dogu University.  They rode the energy of the home crowd early to build a lead, but the visitors fought back late in the third quarter, finally taking a lead in the fourth quarter only to see Sopron make the key plays down the stretch to take a 68-65 lead and hang on for the dramatic win.  Sunday’s atmosphere also figures to be impressive even though the home team will be massive underdogs.

Dynamo Kursk vs. UMMC Ekaterinburg 77-84 KURS McCoughtry 26/6r Petrovic 18 Ogwumike 13/6r Vadeeva 4 Cruz 2 UMMC Moore 28/6r Meesseman 19/8r Griner 19/7r Toliver 15 Torrens 3/6r Belyakova 0 Sanders 0

Sopron vs. Yakin Dogu Universitesi 68-65 SOP Turner 19 Salvadores 16 Crvendakic 10/11r Fegyverneky 10 Milovanovic 9/6r Page 2 YDU Vandersloot 15/7r McBride 12 Hollingsworth 11 Lavender 10/10r Cakir 4 Gruda 3/8r

March 14, 2018

Only one series needed a deciding game on Wednesday.  Fenerbahce put themselves in a position to make every game in the series go to the visitors, but Sopron found themselves in second half, using a raucous crowd to clamp down and win 67-46 behind a tremendous game from Yvonne Turner.  They will now face Yakin Dogu University in one semifinal while the clash of Russian giants Dynamo Kursk and UMMC Ekaterinburg will complete the Final Four field.

Sopron vs. Fenerbahce 67-46 SOP Turner 29 Page 12 Milovanovic 9 Crvendakic 7/7r Salvadores 4 FEN Vaughn 13 Plum 8 Dabovic 5 Kizer 4 Powers 1 Canitez 0

Sopron wins series 2-1

March 7, 2018

All series resumed on Wednesday.  Only one team could win the series on their home court, but Fenerbahce failed to do so as Sopron showed some fight to even the series with a 78-72 win and force a deciding game at home in a week.  All the other home teams were trying to avoid elimination.  USK Praha kept the game close in the first half, but UMMC Ekaterinburg pulled away to win 73-54 and sweep.  Kayla McBride and Yakin Dogu University crushed any remaining hopes that Bourges might have early, jumping out to a big lead early and rolling to an 85-64 win.  Schio put up quite a fight, but Angel McCoughtry and Dynamo Kursk maintained their perfect record with a strong second half to win 73-60.

Fenerbahce vs. Sopron 72-78 FENE Vaughn 18/8r Plum 11 Dabovic 8 Kizer 6 Powers 4/6r Canitez 2 SOP Milovanovic 18 Turner 17/6a Coates 13/8r Crvendakic 10/6r/8a Salvadores 10 Page 2

Series tied 1-1

ZVVZ USK Praha vs. UMMC Ekaterinburg 54-73 USK Xargay 13 Zahui B 9/6r Romero 8/7r UMMC Meesseman 17/11r Griner 15/8r Moore 13/8r/8a Torrens 11 Sanders 4 Belyakova 4 Toliver 4 Baric 3

UMMC Ekaterinburg wins series 2-0

Bourges vs. Yakin Dogu Universitesi 64-85 BOUR Hamblin 12/8r Ayayi 11 Sharp 10 YDU McBride 20/7a Lavender 18/9r Vandersloot 14/6a Eldebrink 10 Gruda 8/9r Hollingsworth 8/7r Wauters 4 Cakir 3

Yakin Dogu Universitesi wins series 2-0

Famila Schio vs. Dynamo Kursk 60-73 SCHI Zandalasini 18/6r Yacoubou 17/7r Miyem 7 Anderson 6 Hruscakova 4 Macchi 3 Masciadri 0 KURS McCoughtry 23 Prince 15/8r Petrovic 10 Vadeeva 10 Ogwumike 9/6r

Dynamo Kursk wins series 2-0

February 28, 2018

All four series started on Wednesday.  In Ekaterinburg, UMMC got to show their full strength for the first time and Maya Moore helped them start fast and beat USK Praha 97-70.  Dynamo Kursk remained the competition’s only undefeated team, handling their first test against a team from the tougher group with a 73-61 win over Schio.  The best chance at an upset was in Sopron, as the hosts could not overcome Fenerbahce’s stronger start, falling short 60-55.  Yakin Dogu University dealt with increased expectations for the first time as Kayla McBride helped them pull away from Valeriane Ayayi and Bourges in the second half for the 83-67.  All Game 2s will be played in a week as all the visiting teams will be fighting to extend their series except for Fenerbahce, which can now clinch at home with its full-powered lineup.

UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. ZVVZ USK Praha 97-70 UMMC Moore 29/7r Meesseman 19 Griner 16/6r Torrens 7/7a Toliver 5/7a Belyakova 3 Baric 2 Sanders 0 USK Kat. Elhotova 17 Zahui B 13 Rezan 12 Hanusova 11 Bonner 6 Xargay 4/7a Romero 2

Dynamo Kursk vs. Famila Schio 73-61 KURS Prince 17 Ciak 13 McCoughtry 11 Ogwumike 10/8r/6a Petrovic 10 SCHI Yacoubou 16 Anderson 10 Dotto 10 Zandalasini 10 Hruscakova 4/6r Macchi 3 Miyem 2 Masciadri 0

Sopron vs. Fenerbahce 55-60 SOP Crvendakic 15 Turner 12/7r Milovanovic 11/6r Salvadores 3 Page 2 Coates 0 FENE Sottana 18 Plum 11 Vaughn 10/10r Dabovic 6 Kizer 4 Powers 3

Yakin Dogu Universitesi vs. Bourges 83-67 YDU McBride 23/6r Vandersloot 17/13a Gruda 14/12r Lavender 14/7r Hollingsworth 4 Cakir 2 BOUR Ayayi 20 Chartereau 15 Sharp 11 Tchatchouang 4 Hamblin 3