Game of the Week: Will Polkowice or Bourges take the last QF ticket from Group A?

POLKOWICE (Poland) - With just two more weeks of the Regular Season to play, the matchup between BC Polkowice and Tango Bourges Basket looks set to be a straight shootout for the Quarter-Finals.

Sat in fourth and fifth places respectively in Group A, there is just one last ticket to the next phase on offer and one of these two clubs will grab it. 

You can watch the live broadcast of the game between BC Polkowice and Tango Bourges Basket on the EuroLeague Women YouTube channel on Wednesday, February 22 at 19:00 CET.

Form guide: Polkowice occupy fourth position in the group at the moment with a 7-5 record, although they have struggled this recently, with just one win in their last five outings. Some of this has had to do with star baller Steph Mavunga being ruled out with an injury. Meanwhile, in the Polish league, they are 15-3 and lie in second place 

Bourges have the same 7-5 record but are in 5th place in the standings. However, in stark contrast to Polkowice, they have won four out of their last five games. They are also posing a strong challenge domestically, currently joint top of the LFB with an 11 wins and 2 losses.

Last meeting: The first meeting between these teams was a nail-biting classic as Polkowice claimed a 63-62 road triumph at Le Prado. The home team had a last ditch three-point shot to take victory, but couldn't make it as Polkowice survived to celebrate the win.

 The backcourt battle between Erica Wheeler and Yvonne Anderson was intense

Key matchup: Both of the backcourt leaders for their respective teams played really well in the first meeting, with Yvonne Anderson showing out for Bourges by accumulating 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. She has since continued her great form, not only at club level, but was also recently a Top Performer for Serbia in the last gameday of the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023 Qualifiers.

Erica Wheeler will have primary responsibility for trying to slow her down. Last time, the Polkowice playmaker was on the winning team and had 19 points and 4 assists. Whoever wins this second battle between Wheeler and Anderson is likely to be the one to put their team on the front foot towards a critical success.

'X-factor': Bourges continue to defy their poor three-point shooting percentage to still get wins - meaning if they do hit a few from outside, that will add even more pressure on Polkowice. The one big edge for Bourges is how they punish turnovers, with 18.1 points per game from that source, maybe a worry for Polkowice who ironically spill the ball 18.1 times per game.

Wednesday, February 22