Reyer pull out another fightback, Villeneuve also advance to the Semi-Finals
MUNICH (Germany) - Umana Reyer Venezia and Villeneuve d'Ascq LM are both looking forward to stepping out in the EuroCup Women Semi-Finals after advancing to the last four on Thursday night.
It was a nail-biting affair in Venice as the locals got behind their team to cheer Umana Reyer to a 59-48 lockdown of Elitzur Landco Ramla as they produced yet another comeback win by overturning a five-point deficit from the first leg of the Quarter-Finals.
With absolutely nothing between the teams for much of this second meeting, the tie was perfectly balanced heading into the closing minutes with Venezia leading by five points.
The dagger was plunged by Mariella Santucci via a huge go-ahead three-pointer with just over 90 seconds remaining as the hosts came up big down the stretch to get the job done. Jessica Shepard was a towering presence inside and finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists.
MARIELLA SANTUCCI ICING THE GAME 🧊🥶#EuroCupWomen | @REYER1872 pic.twitter.com/TcOg7Z35Kt
— EuroCup Women (@EuroCupWomen) March 2, 2023
Ramla's offense evaporated completely in the final quarter, managing a solitary basket from the open floor. Even February's MVP Shakira Austin, who had 13 points and 14 boards, suffered like her teammates when it came to finding buckets in the last 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, Villeneuve d'Ascq LM went down 65-56 at Casademont Zaragoza, but still eased through off the back of the healthy 16 point cushion they accrued in last week's home victory.
Another defensively dominated matchup, the visitors kept pace with their Spanish opponents throughout, or at least until they hit a worrying drought in the last quarter, but with Zaragoza also struggling offensively, Villeneuve kept their nerve to see the game out - winning 140-133 on aggregate.
German star Leonie Fiebich was awesome as usual for Casademont Zaragoza with a stellar 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals , while Kamiah Smalls kept her team in the tournament by posting 20 points, 6 boards, 4 steals and 3 assists for Villeneuve.
Both Galatasaray Cagdas Factoring and LDLC ASVEL Feminin are also in the Semi-Finals, with the clubs having cemented their respective spots 24 hours earlier.
FIBA
