Fenerbahce make statement of intent in derby, BLMA stun ZVVZ USK Praha in thriller

MUNICH (Germany) - Fenerbahce Safiport showed their teeth on the opening night of the brand new EuroLeague Women campaign after taking down city rivals Galatasaray as Alina Iagupova and Elizabeth Williams both showed out. 

Hotly tipped to make another Final Four, Fenerbahce lived up to their billing as they claimed a convincing 89-69 derby triumph. It was founded on a dazzling display by Iagupova in the backcourt as last year's MVP started the new campaign by handing out 11 assists and dropping 29 points.

Williams was also a major force with a double-double of 18 points, 11 rebounds and a stunning six blocked shots. Tina Krajisnik debuted for Galatasaray in the competition and came away with some major credit after posting 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists.

There is an opening night party going on for fans of Montpellier who celebrated BLMA posting a big final quarter to come back against ZVVZ USK Praha and take a dramatic 75-74 win.

Playmaker Olivia Epoupa had a huge first game with the club in the competition as she excelled with an all-action 22 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Maria Conde and Dragana Stankovic replied with 23 and 20 points respectively. 

Yvonne Anderson and Umana Reyer made sure that the first-ever Regular Season outing for KSC Szekszard was not exactly one to remember for the visiting Hungarians. The guard pulled the strings brilliantly to power the Venice side to a commanding 80-59 victory and racked up 23 points and 5 assists, with center Gintare Petronyte doing the work on the glass and pulling down 14 boards.

Meanwhile in Group A, UMMC Ekaterinburg were missing some of their headliners who are still wrapping up their WNBA commitments but it didn't stop them rolling to a 71-56 victory at TTT Riga.  They tipped off their title defense on the front foot after Maria Vadeeva paced the reigning champions with a team-high 16 points.

Fellow Russian side Dynamo Kursk are also off the mark and that was thanks to phenomenal efforts from Eva Lisec and Natasha Howard. The frontcourt duo were unstoppable for the hosts who eased their way past VBW Arka Gdynia 86-76.

Slovenian center Lisec caught fire and finished with a superb 30 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists, while Howard was also impressive after harvesting 22 points and 11 rebounds. The loss was tough to take for Alice Kunek who had 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for Gdynia, with Megan Gustafson doing a tremendous job on her debut with 26 points.

Sopron Basket had to work hard to grind out a victory on the road at Spar Girona as the Hungarian champions prevailed 68-63. The height and skill of Bernadett Hatar was a difference-maker as the center scored some vital buckets in crunch time and claimed 13 points and 11 rebounds.

FIBA