ZARAGOZA (Spain) - Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring are celebrating making their second EuroLeague Women Final after holding off an epic comeback attempt by Casademont Zaragoza to record a 63-56 success.
The Turkish giants inflicted heartbreak on the Final Six hosts and another sell out crowd of more than 10,000 as they caught fire early and left their opponents with a mountain to climb.
Zaragoza came roaring back and set up a nerve-shredding finale after cutting a 27-point gap to just 6 points, but it proved to be a mountain too far - even in a historic season when they have conquered quite a few.
Turning point
Galatasaray wasted no time in taking control with three trademark downtown scores from Marine Johannes. Once they moved a remarkable 24-4 in front at the end of the one-sided first quarter and then extended it to 27, there was realistically only ever going to be one winner.
Zaragoza did give it absolutely everything to try and recover the situation but time expired when they looked they might deliver the mother of all fightbacks.
Game heroes
Marine Johannes was the spark and got Galatasaray racing away with that early shooting clinic that provided the foundation for victory.
She finished with 16 points, including 4 downtown scores and also handed out 4 assists. There was also a near perfect cameo from Elizabeth Williams who weighed in with 12 points after going 5 of 6 from the field. She also grabbed 8 rebounds for good measure.
Stats don't lie
Starting the game 1 of 15 was a shock for Zaragoza and while those shooting numbers improved of course, it was the story of the game.
They shot 35 percent from 2-point range compared to a massive 58 percent for Galatasaray, who were also impressively ruthless in punishing turnovers with 20 points from that source.
Bottom line
Galatasaray will play in Sunday's Final as underdogs against their Istanbul neighbors. But on this form, they will be excited to take to the court.
Their defense was part of the reason Zaragoza stalled offensively and they will need that element again more than anything. They also played some great team basketball. But one big downside of the night was star center Dorka Juhasz limping off at half-time with an injury, which will be a huge concern.
It was a nightmare opening half for the hosts and after the elation of the Quarter-Final win against Basket Landes, they were left in despair as they misfired offensively. It was like the basket had a lid on it during that opening period.
Marea Roja still gave them incredible support and Zaragoza showed all of their heart and spirit with a briliiant rescue attempt, but the near-miracle was not to be. Now they will want to finish on a high by taking Third Place over Spanish rivals Spar Girona.
They said
"I am happy and we are proud of the team. It was tough game and not easy in front of their fans. We started the game the right way, but the other team was fighting back we had to stay focused and we can be proud. We have a great chemistry," Marine Johannes, Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring
"I am so happy and proud of my players. It is not easy with so many Zaragoza fans. We are proud of our roster and our rotations as we have injuries and then we also lost Dorka (Juhasz) in the game. The players did a great job. I am a Turkish coach and we have to be happy for Turkish basketball there are two Turkish team in the Final," Firat Okul, Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring
"I am disappointed but proud at the same time. Obviously we can't start a EuroLeague Women Semi-Final as we did. But coming back speaks a lot to our character andhow we fought all season. It was frustrating because those shots we missed are ones that we make every day," Merritt Hempe, Casademont Zaragoza "The lecture of the game is simple.It killed us at the beginning of the game. But sometimes basketball is like this," Carlos Cantero, Casademont Zaragoza
FIBA