Stewart erupts on Final Four debut

SOPRON (Hungary) - Maybe it is written in the stars that Breanna Stewart is destined for MVP and a EuroLeague Women winners' medal in her rookie season.

Voted the Regular Season MVP by fans, she wasted little time in making a big impression at her first Final Four as she chases the jaw-dropping prospect of capturing a staggering array of MVP titles inside 12 months.

Her spectacular 32-point haul against ZVVZ USK Praha carried Dynamo Kursk into only their second ever Final. Now she is one major performance and possible victory away from maybe adding another gong to the WNBA , WNBA Finals and FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup MVP accolades she already has on her resume.

 
However, when she walked off the floor after torching Praha, it was Sonja Petrovic she wanted to talk about. Her colleague, having had a relatively quiet campaign, also exploded, with the Serbian forward adding 20 points.

"When we needed Sonja in that second quarter, she really started to get hot and was getting really aggressive," enthused Stewart.

"Our team all know what kind of level of player Sonia is and we all came together to get a tough win - it was a lot more difficult than the score says."

As well as heaping praise on Petrovic, she also spoke with enthusiasm about her Seattle teammate Natasha Howard, who was a mid-season arrival at Kursk. The center contributed a sparkling double-double of 22 points and 10 boards.

She said: "To bring 'Tash' to the club was just awesome for me being so familiar with her.

"We play really well together and she was another player who did what she needed to do in this important Semi-Final," added Stewart.

FIBA