Portugal look for a late surge
LISBON (FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 Qualifiers) – With only a single victory to their name so far, it may seem like the odds are stacked against Portugal in the FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 Qualifiers.
LISBON (FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 Qualifiers) – With only a single victory to their name so far, it may seem like the odds are stacked against Portugal in the FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 Qualifiers.
But, a pair of wins in the final window could transform their prospects and head coach Ricardo Vasconcelos must make sure his team continues to believe and dream of taking a spot in Hradec Kralove and Prague next summer.
| Portugal 14-player preliminary squad for FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 Qualifiers | |||
| Filipa Bernardeco | Joan Canastra | Maria Correia | Lavinia da Silva |
| Daniela Domingues | Carolina Escorcio | Agnes Faustino | Marcy Goncalves |
| Luiana Livulo | Catarina Neves | Josephine Philip | Rosinha Rosario |
| Sofia Silva | Ines Viana | ||
Indeed, it would also represent a historic step since Portugal have never made it to a Final Round.
They are ready to sign-off their participation in the current Qualifiers on the road against Hungary and Iceland. It could be something of a mental test when they head to Pecs and Reykjavik - or at least in the context of their previous outing harvesting an unwanted 64-34 shutout on home soil against Slovak Republic.
The onus will be on the likes of Sofia Da Silva to bring the noise, with the forward currently competing in EuroCup Women 2017 with Spar Citylift Girona and a regular key figure for her country under the basket.
FIBA