MUNICH (Germany) - There was joy on Wednesday night for both Fenerbahce Opet and CIMSA CBK Mersin as the Turkish giants both booked their respective places at the inaugural Final Six in April. Flawless Fenerbahce coasted past Valencia Basket Club while the similarly perfect Mersin strode past Basket Landes with ease on the road. However, Fenerbahce had to wait to see if their place would be confirmed with a Casademont Zaragoza success and the Spanish club obliged with a nerve shredding and eye-catching win against ZVVZ USK Praha.
In the other game to be played, Perfumerias Avenida slipped past Zabiny Brno. Meanwhile, 24 hours earlier, Beretta Famila Schio posted a vibrant and nail-biting comeback success against Tango Bourges Basket.
Key Storylines
Mersin first to take a Final Six ticket as they blast past Landes to go to 9-0;
Flawless Fenerbahce still perfect as they land in Final Six with statement win against Valencia;
Zaragoza get it done at home against Praha;
Schio start 2025 with epic comeback success against Bourges.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Natasha Howard (CIMSA CBK Mersin) - 35 Points: Natasha Howard (CIMSA CBK Mersin) - 24 Rebounds: Natasha Howard (CIMSA CBK Mersin) - 14 Assists: Morgan Green (Tango Bourges Basket) - 9 Steals: Dorka Juhasz (Beretta Famila Schio), Gabby Williams (Fenerbahce Opet) - 5 Blocks: Olbis Andre (Beretta Famila Schio) - 3
Fenerbahce and Mersin love the Final Six feeling; Zaragoza edge Praha
Fenerbahce posted a statement win against Valencia Basket Club as they soared to a dominant 92-56 effort that underlined their status as favorites. They locked down the visitors 22-8 in the second period and that was pivotal.
Both clubs fielded new signings in the shape of Germany teammates Nyara Sabally and Leonie Fiebich. The former impressed for Fenerbahce with a smart 11 points, while Gabby Williams led with 14 points, 6 assists and 5 steals.
Mersin claimed their spot with a 73-53 win on the road at Basket Landes. It was built around a truly devastating 20-3 run either side of the interval which snapped a tight game open. Having parted ways with head coach Victor Lapena in the leadup to the contest, it was unknown how the team would respond, but they impressed again.
It was Natasha Howard who put her name up in lights as her excellent campaign continued with a fine 24 points and 14 boards. Casademont Zaragoza confirmed the place of Fenerbahce by beating ZVVZ USK Praha 73-68 on the floor where Final Six will be played. In a tense contest, the home team relied on some nice three-point shooting, sinking eight triples en-route to their victory.
But it was arguably the leadership of playmaker Mariona Ortiz that mattered most. She netted 15 points and dished out 6 assists as Zaragoza moved to 4-3, with Praha now 4-4.
Laura Gil used her veteran know-how to guide Perfumerias Avenida past Zabiny Brno 64-58. The Spaniard racked up 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists as they clung on for a precious victory.
Schio are the 'Comeback Queens' as Juhasz shines
It looked a long way back for Beretta Famila Schio when down by as many as 15 points at home to Tango Bourges Basket, but a spectacular last period handed them an unlikely 67-62 success.
An eye-popping 15-1 start to the last quarter turned the game on its head and they held their composure down the stretch to get the job done - thanks mainly to an exceptional display from Dorka Juhasz. The Hungarian center posted a super double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, also adding 5 steals and 4 assists to make sure Schio improve to 6-3.
The loss was tough on Amy Okonkwo and Morgan Green who excelled for the visitors. The former racked up 22 points and 8 boards, with Green adding 17 points and 9 assists as Bourges fell to 5-4.
Results
Wednesday, January 8 Fenerbahce Opet 92-56 Valencia Basket Club Basket Landes 53-73 CIMSA CBK Mersin Casademont Zaragoza 73-68 ZVVZ USK Praha Perfumerias Avenida 64-58 Zabiny Brno
Tuesday, January 7 Beretta Famila Schio 67-62 Tango Bourges Basket
FIBA