Beretta Famila Schio sink ZVVZ USK Praha to force Quarter-Finals decider

SCHIO (Italy) - There was joy for Beretta Famila Schio on Tuesday night as they extended their stay in EuroLeague Women by winning the second game of their Quarter-Finals series against ZVVZ USK Praha.

The Italian side were unfortunate not to win the opening game in the Czech capital, but this time they made amends and got the job done to tie the series with a 69-56 home court triumph.

Helped by a positive opening, Schio were on the front foot and leading throughout the encounter. Even when Praha, who had trailed by double-digits, launched a late salvage bid in the last period to sneak another win, Schio avoided a dreaded deja-vu.

The Italian side held their nerve and finished strong, also gathering plenty of  momentum for Friday's night's decider in Prague.

"The nightmares of Game 1 didn't come back, we showed more maturity and we managed to come back. We have to give a big thank you to all the fans that gave us wings to our legs. We proved that we are a better team but we need one more game to prove it all," said Schio head coach George Dikaioulakos.

Meanwhile Schio guard Giorgia Sottana commented: "Our fans were amazing, they excited us. We proved that what happened in Game 1 is in the archives, we learned from our mistakes and we did a better job winning this pivotal game. We are working for this since August 9 and we are proving that we deserve to stay here, in the elite of Euroleague Women." 

Sandrine Gruda was a colossus for Schio. producing a stellar double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds, with nice cameos from Jasmine Keys and Sottana.

Praha will reflect on a shooting night that saw them miss their first 16 attempts from long-range, hitting a solitary triple during the closing moments. Brionna Jones was unfortunate to be on the losing side with 18 points and 17 rebounds.

FIBA