MUNICH (EuroCup Women) – Cukurova Basketbol and BLMA maintained their perfect records and have secured safe passage to the next stage, while Besiktas are still dreaming after payback against Tsmoki-Minsk.

A typically offensive fueled 16 points from 70% shooting and 7 assists by Alina Iagupova were the backbone for the unbeaten Cukurova Basketbol winning 82-97 at Beroe. 

BLMA stamped their pass to the next phase by grinding out a 62-68 win at Lyon ASVEL Feminin, with Diandra Tchatchouang, Taylor Wurtz, Endene Miyem and Olesia Malashenko all reaching double figures in points for the visitors.

There was a sweet road win for Besiktas as they avenged a home loss to Tsmoki-Minsk by winning 66-74 in Belarus. Kelsey Mitchell exploded for 33 points, while Evelyn Akhator and Bahar Caglar did the dirty work as they combined for 30 rebounds.

 
The result left Besiktas head coach Aziz Akkaya in no doubt as to the potential significance of the win and he declared: "It was a very important game for us because we lost in the first game. We had a 0-2 record, and now we are 2-2.

"If we win the game against Inventa Kursk in our gym, we will have a chance to qualify. So, I congratulate my team, because they believed in getting the win, and we played very well," added the playcaller.

Also in Group C, Wisla CANPACK consolidated pole position by outgunning Inventa Kursk 55-76 on Russian soil, with key contributions from Spanish duo Leo Rodriguez and Maria Araujo. The former had 21 points and Araujo finished with 10 points and 12 boards.

One of the most dramatic games of the night came in Group A as Gorzow beat fellow Polish side Artego Bydgoszcz 81-78 in overtime as five players posted double-digit scoring returns, including 10 points and 16 rebounds from Kyara Linskens.

The Belgian national team forward revealed: "I am happy with the victory, since we knew it would be a difficult match.

"We generally played very hard, but at times we made simple mistakes in defense, But, at the end, we kept calm and we played our basketball to get the win."

It means Gorzow are now locked on 3-1 with Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje who continued their run by winning 70-91 at Sodertalje, despite Klara Lundquist dropping a sensational 32 points for the hosts.

Energa Torun gave their prospects a major boost as they completed a 95-86 victory against MBA Moscow, with Nirra Fields scoring 20 points and Lithuanian rising star Laura Svaryte matching that tally - also not missing a single shot with a flawless 8-of-8 from the field.

In Group H, there was a special birthday performance from Australian standout Abby Bishop as she celebrated her 30th birthday with a victory and headline-grabbing 21 points and 9 rebounds as KSC Szekszard won 68-75 at Cinkarna Celje.

In Group I, there was an exciting 83-79 home floor triumph for Rutronik Stars Keltern who outlasted VBW CEKK Cegled as Jasmine Thomas and Kim Pierre-Louis combined for 40 points.

Botas Spor moved to 3-1 in Group E after racking up a stellar second half to sweep aside A3 Umea 89-67, with Claudia Cuic on top form with 22 points, 12 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. 

Finally, Basket Landes were left stunned by BBC Sint-Katelijne-Waver who pulled level at 2-2 with their opponents after a thrilling 76-73 win in overtime that was paced by 26 points from Laure Resimont and a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds from Billie Massey.

FIBA