MUNICH (Germany) - There was still plenty to play for heading into the final gameday of the EuroLeague Women Second Round and it was Casademont Zaragoza, Umana Reyer Venezia and Beretta Famila Schio who extended their respective campaigns by snapping up the last remaining Quarter-Final Play-Ins places.
Zaragoza had the easiest task on paper and so it proved as they rode past DVTK HUNTHERM with ease. Venezia arguably took the most impressive result as they eliminated the highly fancied Valencia Basket Club, while Schio put Tango Bourges Basket to the sword.
Elsewhere, there were last day wins for Fenerbahce Opet, Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring and ZVVZ USK Praha.
Key Storylines
Fiesta gets started in Zaragoza with Play-Ins ticket inspired by teamwork and defense;
Reyer shutdown Valencia as Charles and Dojkic lead the Italians into post-season;
Schio get it done late to advance as Laksa lights it up from long-range;
Major landmark for Meesseman and competiton high for Rupert as Fenerbahce sign off on a high.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Emma Meesseman (Fenerbahce Opet) - 28 Points: Emma Meesseman (Fenerbahce Opet), Valeriane Ayayi (ZVVZ USK Praha) - 21 Rebounds: Dorka Juhasz (Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring) - 12 Assists: Julie Allemand (Fenerbahce Opet) - 10 Steals: Iliana Rupert (Fenerbahce Opet) - 8 Blocks: Tiffany Clarke (Flammes Carolo Basket) - 4
Regular Season curtain falls with celebrations for trio of clubs
The most nail-biting game came in Schio where a strong finish to the game was needed for the Italians to see off a resilient Bourges team 77-69. The contest was locked with only 4 minutes remaining, but Schio posted a 10-2 finish to kill off the hopes of the visitors and secure their post-season berth.
Some accurate three-point shooting from Kitija Laksa paced the win as the Latvian made 4 of 5 from long-range on her way to 18 points, while Jessica Shepard did most of the heavy lifting insdie with 13 points and 7 boards. Kariata Diaby was excellent for Bourges with 17 points and 9 rebounds.
Zaragoza made light work of getting the win they needed against DVTK with a one-sided 66-40 victory. A red-hot start eased any nerves about a possible upset and once ahead and in control, they never had cause to look back.
Ornella Bankole top scored for the home side with 13 points, while the suffocating home defense was epitomized by the 6 steals that Helena Pueyo added to her name to help the Spanish side finish 7-5.
Reyer celebrated a fine 69-55 win against Valencia to advance, as they got onto the front foot early and locked their opponents down. Kaila Charles and Ivana Dojkic underpinned the success. Charles logged another double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, with Dojkic adding a team-high 15 points.
Valencia had been expected to lineup at Final Six, but that won't be happening as they endured a nightmare shooting night during the first three quarters and it proved to be costly. Raquel Carrera recorded 12 points and 9 rebounds in defeat.
Emma Meesseman and Iliana Rupert both had reasons to be proud as Fenerbahce avoided a double defeat to Basket Landes with a late surge paving the way for a 78-69 revenge win in Istanbul. Boasting a super 11-1 record and the best of any club, it was Meesseman who led the way as usual.
She scored 21 points to move through the 2,000 EuroLeague Women points barrier, while her teammate snapped up a sensational 8 steals - the most by any player in a game this season. There were also a fabulous 10 assists for Julie Allemand, while the visitors attained an 8-4 record and proudly pushed their Group F rivals hard throughout.
Galatasaray came out on top in the battle for supremacy in Group E as they eased out Spar Girona 67-57 off the back of a twin towers, Dorka Juhasz and Awak Kuier.
The former continued her great first year in the club's colors by adding a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, with the latter claiming 16 points, 10 boards and 3 blocks.
Finally, ZVVZ USK Praha head into the Play-Ins on a winning note after easing past Flammes Carolo Basket 88-70. It was a three-punch that did the trick, with Valeriane Ayayi back on French soil and top-scoring with 21 points alongside compatriot Janelle Salaun who scored 20 points. Bridget Carelton also continued her great form with 18 points.
Results
Wednesday, February 4
Galatasaray Cagdas Faktoring 67-57 Spar Girona Fenerbahce Opet 78-69 Basket Landes Flammes Carolo Basket 70-88 ZVVZ USK Praha Umana Reyer Venezia 69-55 Valencia Basket Club Beretta Famila Schio 77-69 Tango Bourges Basket Casademont Zaragoza 66-40 DVTK HUNTHERM
FIBA