MUNICH (Germany) - It was party time for no fewer than eight clubs after they all booked their respective places in the next phase of EuroCup Women, meaning they will return for Round of 16 action during January. Many of those who advanced had done the heavy lifting in the first leg games and attained huge leads - including the likes of Galatasaray Cagdas Factoring, BLMA and Rutronik Stars Keltern.
The closest encounters came as LDLC ASVEL Feminin slipped past Kibirkstis Vilnius by just two points on aggregate. BDS Dinamo Sassari eliminated Hozono Global Jairis by only three points across both games.
The action for the current calendar year will conclude with another eight matchups on Thursday, December 19.
Key Storylines
- French side ASVEL dodge a bullet to make the next stage ; - Sassari, Estudiantes and IDK Euskotren all squeeze out tickets after close calls; - Eight tickets taken on Wednesday night and eight tickets still remain on offer.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Sparkle Taylor (BDS Dinamo Sassari) - 31 Points: Sparkle Taylor (BDS Dinamo Sassari) - 32 Rebounds: Musa Murjanatu (Tarbes Gespe Bigorre) - 15 Assists: Romane Bernies (BLMA) - 10 Steals: Multiple Players - 4 Blocks: Dominique Malonga (LDLC ASVEL Feminin) - 3
ASVEL breathe a sigh of relief; big-hitters all advance
The biggest drama of the night came as LDLC ASVEL Feminin took a 69-67 home win against Kibirkstis With the first leg a draw, ASVEL had to survive a last-gasp three-point attempt which would have probably eliminated them. Another double-double from Dominique Malonga was vital as she weighed in with 18 points and 10 boards.
Hozono Global Jairis lost by six points at BDS Dinamo Sassari and came close to overhauling their opponents. But a 74-71 home win was not to be enough as Sassari celebrated reaching the next phase. A stellar 32 points from Sparkle Taylor was pivotal to an exciting outcome in the tie.
VBW Arka Gdynia were 5 points behind Movistar Estudiantes from their first meeting, and hoping home advantage would pay. But they went out to the Spanish side after a rare 59-59 draw. Frieda Buhner solidified her rising star status for the visitors as the German posted 19 points and 10 boards to help her team advance.
Similarly, Charnay Basket and IDK Euskotren were inseparable in the first game but it was the Spanish team that march on. IDK took a 73-66 success, with Delicia Washington harvesting 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Galatasaray had to work hard to see off KKZ Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet 72-65 as they claimed a second win against their opponents. A monstrous double-double of 24 points and 11 boards from Yueru Li was the highlight. Villeneuve d'Ascq LM roared past CSM Constanta 91-71 as Haley Peters briefly threatened a triple-double with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
BLMA held a healthy lead from their first meeting against Neptunas-Amberton and completed a win-double in Lithuania with a 65-55 success, founded on 10 assists from the experienced Romane Bernies.
Rutronik Stars Keltern also did the double over Tarbes Gespe Bigorre by beating them 71-50 on French soil, led by 17 points from Mina Djordjevic. Meanwhile, 24 hours earlier in the only game to be played on Tuesday night, DVTK won their rearranged first leg matchup against Elitzur Ramla 81-75, with the deciding leg to be played on Thursday.
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