MUNICH (EuroLeague Women) - It was an absorbing start to the new calendar year in EuroLeague Women as drama weaved its way through many of the opening matchups of 2019.

The most compelling clash came in the Czech capital in a special double-overtime thriller. It had looked bleak for Victor Lapena and his Nadezhda team when they fell behind by as many as 17 points against  ZVVZ USK Praha who were on fire.

However, they showed great resolve to get back into the contest and eventually come out on top 86-90 in a classic. Brionna Jones was sensational again with 29 points and 11 rebounds.

There was also drama in Kursk as the home side had to work hard to do the double over TTT Riga. Having only beaten their rivals by a point on the first day of the season, Dynamo scraped past the Latvians 73-70, with Breanna Stewart grabbing 27 points and 9 rebounds. Quanitra Hollingsworth debuted with an eye-catching 16 points and 10 boards.

Bourges Basket also had to come from behind against CCC Polkowice in another game of two halves. They improved to 6-2 as they claimed a 76-65 victory.

Typically, they were paced by Marine Johannes who netted a sparkling 25 points to wow the locals at Le Prado, while Cristina Ouvina was also exceptional with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

The result was hanging in the balance in Istanbul during the last period, but Fenerbahce posted a late surge of scoring to take a 76-68 triumph over the still winless Olympiacos. Bria Hartley picked up where she left off in 2018 with another impressive showing.

"There were too many ups and downs for both sides and it was a tough game in general," she mused, after firing a team-high 21 points.

"It was a very important win for us, but we should make our defense more consistent for the rest of the season. I would like to say thank you to my teammates, they are the reason for my individual performance," added the guard.

Finally, the addition of Riquna Williams during the winter break paid immediate dividends for Hatay as she fired 25 points to propel her team to a 65-73 win at Perfumerias Avenida. Marica Gajic also chipped in with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds.

For more on how the day unfolded, check out our Blog.

FIBA