BLMA, Reyer Venezia bounce back as last Round of 16 spots are sealed

MUNICH (Germany) - The last nine tickets for the Round of 16 were taken and in the case of BLMA and Umana Reyer Venezia in particular, both had to overturn worrying first leg deficits to make it.

BLMA were beaten by 16 points in their first leg matchup at Crvena Zvezda MTS, but it was a whole different story on French soil. They flipped the switch and came away with a super 96-66 victory as Mamignan Toure came alive in the tie with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Umana Reyer Venezia extracted revenge for their loss to domestic rivals Dinamo Banco Di Sardegna by bouncing back to claim a commanding 83-61 home win. Awak Kuier went to work in the paint to harvest 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, with Jessica Shepard coming up with 19 points and 10 boards.

After their big first leg win at home, LDLC ASVEL Feminin already had one foot in the Round of 16 and now they have both feet there after dismantling VBW Arka Gdynia 91-72. The present and the future did the damage as Gabby Williams put up 20 points, while teenage rising star center Dominique Malonga produced 23 points and 8 boards.

For the second time in a week, AZS UMCS Lublin didn't have it all their own way against BCF Elfic Fribourg, but a 71-65 success allowed them to take an 11-point aggregate win. Some sharp perimeter shooting from the team and 21 points from guard Sparkle Taylor proved to be the main source of Polish joy.

ACS Sepsi-SIC dominated Basket Namur Capitale in the first meeting and there was a major sense of deja vu as they completed a 90-44 victory this time around, thanks to a stellar 22 points, 15 rebounds and 4 steals from Bethy Mununga.

Elitzur Holon had little difficulty in finishing the job against Panathinaikos AC as they completed a double over their opponent with an energetic start paving the way for a 75-56 win. Alex Harden netted 18 points, Emily Potter replied with 14 points and 12 boards for the losing team.

Israeli club Ramla are looking forward to a Round of 16 appearance later this month

Elitzur Landco Ramla also got a serious jump start as they outscored Maccabi Bnot Ashdod 31-7 in the opening 10 minutes to shake off any thoughts of their rivals progressing at their expense. Eventually, Ramla recorded an 82-46 triumph, with Alyssa Baron leading the way with 16 points.

Angers slipped past Movistar Estudiantes 65-64 but their aggregate success was a more comfortable 11 points after last week's triumph on the road in Madrid. Alexis Peterson was again on top form with a game-high 20 point contribution.

 Last but not least, the most dramatic and nail-biting Play-Off Round 1 tie saw Cadi La Seu inflict agony on SL Benfica as they managed to win 121-119 on aggregate. They lost in the Portuguese capital 66-59 but just survived courtesy of their win in the first leg. Rapha Monteiro had 13 points and 10 boards for Benfica, with Cadi thankful for 19 points from Laia Raventos and Benfica rimming out on the final buzzer.

FIBA