Party time for Polkowice at Praha, Meesseman shines in Fenerbahce debut

MUNICH (Germany) - For the second time this season, BC Polkowice have grabbed the headlines by claiming a major scalp after celebrating a fabulous road win at ZVVZ USK Praha.

The Polish club followed up their impressive opening day dismantling of Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding to improve to 3-1 with an exciting 83-80 victory against another Final Four participant in the Czech capital. The success and the first defeat of the campaign for Praha was built around a stunning performance from the in-form Steph Mavunga.

The forward collected a colossal double-double of 25 points and 17 rebounds.

Polkowice also prospered from making 10 triples in the contest and a nice 18 points from Artemis Spanou. Meanwhile Praha will be kicking themselves for losing their unbeaten record and not least because the visitors had 26 turnovers. Alyssa Thomas had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 6 steals, with Valeriane Vukosavljevic adding 28 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. 

Emma Meesseman finally got to step out with Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding and she made an immediate impact on her return from injury with a classy showing. Her 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists paced her team's 85-67 triumph at Virtus Segafredo Bologna. 

The Belgian star was a handful in the paint and so too was teammate Natasha Howard who helped Fenerbahce improve to 2-2 by offering 17 points and 6 rebounds. Virtus couldn't cope when their opponents turned up the heat in the second half and only Iliana Rupert performed well with 17 points and 10 boards.

Valencia Basket Club are now 3-1 after they took a 76-68 home win against Tango Bourges Basket. The game was locked up 54-54 late in the third period, but the hosts made their move with a strong 14-1 burst either side of the last quarter break. 

Alba Torrens was one of four Valencia ballers who reached double-digits as she netted 14 points, with Yvonne Anderson topping 20 points for Bourges who struggled from long-range with 3 from 19.

Atomeromu KSC Szekszard collected only their second ever Regular Season victory by taking down the still winless Olympiacos SFP 78-69. Another towering display from Cyesha Goree made a big difference as the center claimed a wonderful double-double of 19 points and 13 boards. She showed her shooting range by making three of four from downtown.

There was a strong cameo from Victoria Vivians with 19 points, while Agnes Studer handed out 11 assists. As usual, Megan Gustafson stood out for Olympiacos with 23 points and 9 boards, but they are now 0-4 at the bottom of Group A.

Beretta Famila Schio improved to 3-1 as they ensured Basket Landes are still searching for a first success of the season. The Italian club collected a commanding 78-58 win on French soil, with a one-sided 25-10 third quarter breaking open the game.

Schio were powered by a fine 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while Jasmine Keys had a career best double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds. Regan Magarity scored a team-high 15 points in defeat.

Perfumerias Avenida bounced back from last week's heavy loss at Schio to make it three home wins in four games after they eased out Kangoeroes Mechelen 79-72. After a relatively even first-half, the home side came alive after the break and raced ahead with a 24-13 third period.

While Mechelen did come back in the last 10 minutes, Avenida resisted and helped by 19 points from Marielle Fasoula, plus 16 points and 6 assists from Maite Cazorla, underlined just how tough they are to play against at Pabellon Wurzburg.

Finally, the Game of the Week lived up to its billing as Spar Girona ended the unbeaten start of reigning champions Sopron Basket with a nail-biting 63-60 home win. The victory was also vital for confidence after their surprise loss to newcomers Mechelen last week.

Rebekah Gardner was central to Girona's best work as usual and she walked off the court sharing 28 points with Marianna Tolo, with both players making the vital free-throws down the stretch. Forward Maria Araujo also contributed 13 points and 7 rebounds. 

FIBA