First 14 precious tickets to the Round of 16 now snapped up

MUNICH (Germany) - The bulk of EuroCup Women Round of 16 berths and pairings have now been set after a busy night of action witnessed all but two Play-Off Round 1 ties being concluded.

There was excitement in Polkowice as the local favorites needed overtime to overturn a 13-point first leg deficit against Kangoeroes Basket.

They claimed a 73-53 victory and march on in the competition thanks mainly to 29 points from Feyonda Fitzgerald, plus 13 points and 10 rebounds from Artemis Spanou.

Those advancing included reigning champions Valencia BC, who strode past KKZ Crvena Zvezda 96-51 as Bec Allen stood out with 14 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

It was also a landmark night for 15-year-old Spanish prospect Awa Fam Thiam who scored her first basket in the competition and eventually finished with six points.

In another roller-coaster night for French clubs, Flammes won 60-54 at Movistar Estudiantes after a massive nail-biter to squeeze through 135-132 in the tie. Evelyn Akhator was the difference-maker with 12 points and 13 boards.

LDLC Asvel Feminin and Villeneuve D'Ascq LM both cruised through with Lyon smashing their way to a mammoth 100-point aggregate win after a 99-46 victory against Hatayspor. It was a night to remember for Dominique Malonga, who harvested a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds who is still only 16-years-old.

Villeneuve beat Tenerife again with the experienced Johanne Gomis inspiring them to a 75-49 win off the back of her 19 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds.

On the flip-side, Roche Vendee exited the competition at the hands of Nika Syktyvkar after a 108-98 home defeat on top of their loss in Russia. They were largely undone by 31 points from Belgian guard Hind Ben Abdelkader. Tarbes GB also bowed out as they lost 63-55 at home to AZS UMCS Lublin as Kamiah Smalls excelled for the Polish side with 25 points.

Elsewhere, there was tension in the matchup between Nesibe Aydin and NKA Universitas PEAC as the former advanced by claiming a narrow 74-71 success, to add to their slender three-point winning margin in the first leg.

Once again Alaina Coates was unstoppable with 21 points and 23 rebounds, while Virag Kiss shone in defeat with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

BC Nadezhda and MBK Ruzomberok played out a rare draw last week, but the Russians used the home advantage of being in Orenburto devastating impact as they claimed a convincing 80-51 triumph. Natasha Hiedeman starred with an all-action 10 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists.

Zabiny Brno celebrated a win double in both legs against DVTK as they moved to the next stage with a 76-69 home success built around 24 points from Natalie Stoupalova and a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards from veteran Anna Jurcenkova. The loss was tough for Keyona Hayes who accrued 23 points and 15 rebounds for DVTK.

Orman Genclik eased to the next phase as they beat ACS Sepsi-SIC 72-69, having done the damage with a huge first leg win. Turkish rising star Goksen Fitik impressed with a smart 18 points.

Similarly, Olympiacos finished the job at home off the back of a big victory on the road as they took down WBC Enisey 84-69 behind a shared 38 points from Anna Stamolamprou and Michelle Plouffe.

Already up by 14 points, BC Prometey took to the court on home soil and blasted past BCF Elfic Fribourg 85-54 as Joyner Holmes led the way with a team-high 17 points.

Castors Braine relied on another excellent show from Maxuella Lisowa Mbaka who contributed 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists to take down Neve David Ramla again, this time winning 86-79 which was despite the visitors having Emma Cannon dropping 35 points.

The last two remaining Round of 16 spots will be filled by the winner of the tie between Bourges Basket and London Lions, as well as whoever emerges between Lointek Gernika and CBK Mersin Yenisehir Bld.

FIBA