MUNICH (Germany) - KGHM BC Polkowice wrote the headlines on Wednesday night as they pipped ZVVZ USK Praha in a nail-biter and there were also tight first wins of the Regular Season for several other clubs.

These included Cukurova Basketbol Mersin and Valencia Basket Club, while five teams are sat with a perfect 2-0 record in the shape of  Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding, Beretta Famila Schio, DVTK HUN-Therm, Perfumerias Avenida and Virtus Segafredo Bologna. 

Sykes and Fraser find form for Polkowice

It always looked like being a 50-50 contest and so it proved as KGHM BC Polkowice dug out a precious and memorable 75-68 victory, helped by the debut of playmaker Brittney Sykes. Capitalizing on the absence of Praha's injured backcourt leader Teja Oblak, it was Sykes who proved a difference-maker in the contest. She finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in her new colors

However there was also a huge contribution from forward Brianna Fraser with 16 points, 10 boards and 7 assists, as four home ballers returned double-digits in scoring. The loss was tough on Ezi Magbegor of Praha who had a massive 19 points and 17 rebounds, but her team suffered in a close matchup with a poor 4 of 21 from downtown, whereas Polkowice drilled 11 triples.

Delight for DVTK HUN-Therm

Having risen up through the Qualifiers, DVTK HUN-Therm have inked a second Regular Season success through two weeks, although it was a close-run thing. They had to work hard to see off rookies Casademont Zaragoza 66-63, with the visitors having roared back and implemented a last quarter defensive shutdown which restricted DVTK to just seven points in the period.

But it wasn't to be for Zaragoza who were led brilliantly by Leonie Fiebich, with the German standout accumulating 16 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals. They missed too many free-throws and left it too late. Veronika Kanyasi top-scored for DVTK with 14 points.

Late move by Cukurova seals the deal

The fate of Cukurova Basketbol Mersin in this game was very much in the balance during the last 10 minutes in their matchup with Basket Landes and at one point they were staring into the unthinkable of consecutive home defeats to tip-off the season.

But a 10-1 run heading into crunch time gave the Turkish club the impetus for a 79-75 success, as well as a towering defensive display from Elizabeth Williams. The center tallied 14 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks, while also impressing offensively with 8 assists. Marina Mabrey brought the noise in the scoring stakes with 26 points, while a smart 17 points from Alexis Peterson was the highlight for Landes.

Avenida impress once again

Catching the eye in a big way on opening night last week when they racked up a victory in Mersin, there was something for the home fans to enjoy in person in Salamanca as Perfumerias Avenida rode past Villeneuve d'Ascq LM 79-65. 

Something had to give when both unbeaten teams met and it was Avenida who always looked most likely to take victory with their superior depth and dominance on the glass. They were both factors that came more into the reckoning as the game unfolded, with the Spanish club helped mainly by the know-how of Silvia Dominguez and a nice home debut in the tournament from Sika Kone. The duo shared 22 points, with the latter also completing a double-double by pulling down 10 boards.

Highs

Efficiency: 34 – Napheesa Collier (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding)
Points: 26 – Marina Mabrey (Cukurova Basketbol Mersin)
Rebounds: 17  – Ezi Magbegor (ZVVZ USK Praha) 
Assists: 9 – Cecilia Zandalasini, Francesca Pasa (Virtus Segafredo Bologna)
Steals: 5 – Napheesa Collier (Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding)
Blocks: 3 – Ezi Magbegor (ZVVZ USK Praha)

Tuesday, October 10

Group B
Serco UNI Gyor 74-85 Virtus Segafredo Bologna

Wednesday, October 11

Group A
Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding 106-57 LDLC ASVEL Feminin 
DVTK HUN-Therm 66-63 Casademont Zaragoza 
ACS Sepsi-SIC 58-70 Beretta Famila Schio 
Valencia Basket Club 64-45 Cukier Polski AZS UMCS Lublin 

Group B
Cukurova Basketbol Mersin 79-75 Basket Landes 
KGHM BC Polkowice 75-68 ZVVZ USK Praha 
Perfumerias Avenida 79-65 Villeneuve d'Ascq LM 

FIBA