MONTPELLIER (EuroLeague Women) - BLMA punched the last available ticket for the EuroLeague Women Regular Season after they eased their way to an 86-71 win against KSC Szekszard. 

Turning Point: Trailing by a point from the first leg of the Qualifiers, things were looking gloomy for BLMA and their home fans when they were down 42-34 in the second period. But, a 10-0 run either side of the interval made it a completely new game and gave them the platform to push on and take victory.

Stats Don't Lie: BLMA made 56 percent of their shots from two-point range and that clinical finishing around the bucket proved to be hugely important.

 Courtney Hurt was the top performer for the triumphant BLMA

Game Heroes: There were a string of top performances from BLMA players, led by Courtney Hurt who had 20 points and 9 rebounds, while Ewelina Kobryn showcased her veteran quality with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Meanwhile captain Romane Bernies pulled the strings and dished out a fine 10 assists.

The Bottom Line: On paper, BLMA always looked like they had the depth, quality and experience to just edge this tie and so it proved. They are proven EuroLeague Women performers who will look forward to testing themselves in the Regular Season. As for the Hungarian rookies, they showed plenty of promise and can at least be consoled that they can inflict some damage in EuroCup Women where they could thrive. 

They Said: "We started badly, we rather reacted to situations instead of controlling them. The team showed a lot of character. We're clearly an offensive team, but we must improve defensively. It was important for us to go through to play EuroLeague Women." - BLMA head coach Rachid Meziane.

"We have a young talented team, this is our first year in a European competition and maybe we must take things step-by-step by playing EuroCup Women. We made some basic mistakes and gave BLMA some presents which helped them come back into the match." - Szekszard head coach Zeljko Djokic.

FIBA