Tango Bourges leap towards historic first EuroCup Women Final
KAYSERI (EuroCup Women) - France head coach Valerie Garnier was left pleasantly surprised as her Tango Bourges side made a jump towards a maiden appearance in the EuroCup Women Final.
Competing in the tournament for the first time in their illustrious history which had previously witnessed only EuroLeague Women action, the French side wrapped up a superb 68-55 success on the road in the Semi-Final first leg in Kayseri against Agu Spor.
It was a result which left Garnier hugely satisfied - although mindful of ensuring her players go and finish the job in the return fixture on Friday at Le Prado, when around 5,000 fans will be expected to cheer the local favourites into the Final.
Demi-finale aller ✅. Le résumé ➡ https://t.co/TtRQVwel0m #AllezTango #EuroCupWomen pic.twitter.com/Hhnjlb8njW
— Tango Bourges Basket (@BourgesBasket) March 23, 2016
"We did not expect to beat Agu Spor on their home court by 13 points, as we know that it is not easy to play in Kayseri," mused the play-caller.
"You can't win here if you play with fun - you need to be well focused.
"It is not over yet, because as people may remember from the EuroLeague Women regular season, we could only beat Agu Spor in Bourges after overtime."
It was EuroBasket Women 2015 winner Danielle Page who stood out with a fine 6 of 7 shooting performance and she was also keen to stress that there is till work to be done.
She warned: "We are very happy with the result of this game, but it is not over. We still have the return leg in France to play.
"We are pleased with what we did on offense, but we need to push and work on our defense and improve our boxing out."
Demi-finale - #EuroCoupe Félicitations @BourgesBasket et @ESBVALM vainqueurs du match aller https://t.co/8qfApKkwgX pic.twitter.com/GW0lmvvUsl
— FFBB (@ffbasketball) March 23, 2016
Eyeing up a first piece of European silverware with Bourges, captain Celine Dumerc once again put in a vibrant performance for her team ahead of her summer departure to Basket Landes. She garnered an eye-catching 12 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
Fin du match et victoire !
— ESBVA-LM (@ESBVALM) March 22, 2016
1/2F aller @EuroCupWomen
Match retour vendredi @ESBVALM 80-54 @BasketLandes pic.twitter.com/nxadvKi6xY
However the prospect of Dumerc facing her future employers in the Final took a serious nose-dive after Basket Landes endured a nightmare in their Semi-Final first leg clash at Villeneuve d'Ascq.
They were caught cold by the reigning champions and crashed 80-54, as another playmaker in Virginie Bremont stood out with a dazzling and all-action 16 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals to put her side on the road to consecutive Final appearances.
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FIBA
