Castors Braine, Galatasaray jump towards the Round of 16

MUNICH (Germany) - Both Castors Braine and Galatasaray Cagdas Factoring are eyeing up a spot in the EuroCup Women Round of 16 after completing convincing first leg wins in the Play-Off Round 1.

The victory of 22nd seeds Castors Braine was stunning as the Belgian team tore apart the visiting OGM Ormanspor 90-62 to give themselves a great opportunity to advance. Incredibly, the hosts had trailed at half-time but produced a blistering second half performance. The architect of their success was mainly Slovenian guard Aleksandra Kroselj, who finished with a fine 23 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. 

Galatasaray were boosted by the signing of the vastly experienced Epiphanny Prince as they propelled themselves to a fabulous 78-61 win at Uni Gyor. The victory was largely built around another scorching effort from powerhouse center Teaira McCowan who went off for 17 points and 18 rebounds along with 4 blocks, while frontcourt partner Azura Stevens contributed 16 points and 11 boards.

Second seeds Casademont Zaragoza collected a dramatic 67-66 win at Nesibe Aydin, fuelled by German star Leonie Fiebich. She not only excelled with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but also netted the go-ahead triple inside the last minute of the contest. 

There was also a thrilling one-point victory for another Spanish club as Lointek Gernika Bizkaia pipped InvestInTheWest Enea Gorzow 79-78. Sandra Ygueravide rolled back the years with a stellar 29 points for the winning team, with the ever impressive Alanna Smith registering 23 points and 7 assists for Gorzow.

Alexis Peterson, Jasmine Bailey and Jodie Cornelle-Sigmundova combined to make sure there were not three Spanish wins as they catapulted Angers to a 65-55 win at Movistar Estudiantes. Peterson had a team-high 18 points, while her two colleagues shared 28 points, with Bailey also passing the rock 5 times.

Finally, NKA Universitas PEAC will take a precious six-point advantage into the second leg against Piestanske Cajky after completing a 68-62 victory on the road. Some nice three-point shooting made the difference, plus 22 points from Sierra Calhoun. 

FIBA