Defense and teamwork carry Tango Bourges to another title

BOURGES (France) - Tango Bourges put on a show of amazing teamwork and stifling defense to ride their way past Umana Reyer 74-38 and claim their second EuroCup Women title.

The celebrations inside Le Prado lasted long into the night as the Final Four hosts celebrated an outstanding performance to follow up their previous success in 2016.

Turning point: Already trailing by nine points at halftime and struggling to keep their heads above water, the wheels came crashing off completely for Reyer in the third quarter. Bourges were terrific and piled on the misery, holding the Italian side to a meagre five points in the period as the hosts hit top gear to take full control.

Game hero(es): While this was an immense collective effort,  there was another super showing from young Iliana Rupert. She caught fire early and looked unstoppable. She eventually collected 25 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 75 percent from the field. Sarah Michel was excellent as she did so much of the hard work for the team and claimed an all-action 7 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals.

Stats Don't Lie: It was a miserable shooting night for Reyer who shot less than 22 percent from the field, largely because they missed so badly from downtown. They made only 1 of 22 of their shots from three-point range.

Bottom line: Reyer knocked off defending champions Valencia Basket in the Quarter-Finals and then favorites CBK Mersin Yenisehir Bld in the Semi-Finals, so they must have thought they would make it third time lucky. Instead, they were overwhelmed in just about every department and their record reads three Final losses. . 

As for Bourges, this was an epic triumph in every way. Taking the momentum from their pulsating Semi-Final success against Galatasaray, they were even better in the title game. Their focus, intensity and team defense suffocated Umana Reyer completely, while the way they moved their basketball meant that their opponents were chasing shadows. Take into account that Bourges were without veteran duo Endy Miyem and Isabelle Yacoubou, plus Alix Duchet going down injured during the game and it was a performance to be truly proud of.

FIBA