MONTPELLIER (EuroLeague Women) - Her legs may not be as sprightly as they were in her earlier days, but Spanish ace Laia Palau is still a force to be reckoned with at the highest level.

The veteran helped her national team reach the Final of the FIBA World Championship for Women last year and rather than bowing out, she has shown there is still potentially more to add to her already sparkling resume.

Already leading the EuroLeague Women in assists, Palau propelled ZVVZ USK Prague into the Play Offs with a sublime double-double (15 points and 11 assists) in the 77-72 win at Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration.

The playmaker is now intent on taking her team to the climax of the EuroLeague Women season.

"We're happy to be in the quarter-finals," said Palau as she was handed a return to her homeland with Prague paired with CB Avenida in the Play Offs.

"That was our first objective and it really wasn't an easy match against Montpellier.

"Now we want to go to the Final Four," declared the 35-year-old who will also pull the strings for Spain at EuroBasket Women 2015 later this year (11-28 June).

There were two stunning performances from USA national team duo Candace Parker and Nnemkadi Ogwumike, with the latter having effectively replaced the former in the Turkey 2014 success.

Parker had 17 points and as many rebounds for UMMC Ekaterinburg but still couldn't prevent her team from falling to another one-point loss, 74-73, against domestic rivals and competition newcomers Dynamo Kursk.

Ogwumike amassed an eye-catching 21 points and 10 rebounds, but it was a third USA national team standout in Seimone Augustus who hit the winning jump-shot with seconds to spare to hand Dynamo Kursk top spot in Group A.

They will now face Tango Bourges Basket in the next phase of the competition and UMMC will face another Russian team in the Quarter-Finals after being pitched against Nadezhda.

Elsewhere in the tournament, defending champions Galatasaray odeabank got the win they needed to progress and that has set up a blockbuster in the Play Offs against fierce city rivals Fenerbahce in a repeat of last year's Final.

FIBA