MUNICH (Germany) - It was a momentous night for BAXI Ferrol and Iraklis STIHL as they did what was needed to make the EuroCup Women Regular season for the first time, with the latter needing overtime to complete the mission. Iraklis STIHL travelled to Universitatea Cluj with an 11-point cushion and they needed it. They lost in overtime but survived 121-119 on aggregate to step into unchartered waters. Meanwhile BAXI Ferrol were always big favorites to progress and the Spanish club sealed their place with a second victory against O.ME.P.S. Battipaglia. The duo join Bodrum Basketbol, UFAB 49 and BDS Dinamo Sassari in progressing, with those clubs cementing safe passage to the main phase of the competition with wins on Wednesday night.
Universitatea Cluj 69-60 (OT) Iraklis STIHL
There were contrasting emotions of the most stark kind for both teams after Cluj took a 9-point win against Iraklis but were still left contemplating missing out on Regular Season action after failing to overturn the 11-point gap from the first game. They had pushed their Greek rivals hard and could have even advanced during regulation time after missing an opportunity to score just before forcing the extra period.
The tie was in the balance until the last moments of overtime when Iraklis just did enough thanks to a Kennedy Dickie basket with 9 seconds left ultimately sealing the deal. That was fitting as she finished with 26 points and 10 boards, while Alexis Cortez was brilliant for the home side with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 4 steals.
BAXI Ferrol 89-45 O.ME.P.S. Battipaglia
There will be plenty for BAXI Ferrol fans to look forward to this season as the local favorites advanced off the back of another success against their Italian opponents. They fell behind by a point in the opening quarter but normal service was resumed in the second period when they got onto the front foot and never looked back. Gala Mestres was sensational and led the hosts with 14 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. There were also nice shows from Amira Collins with 18 points and rising star Noa Morro who had 11 points and 8 boards.
Bodrum Basketbol 70-66 GiroLive Panthers Osnabruck
Leading 78-36 from the first meeting when they rolled over Osnabruck on the road, Bodrum had to work a lot harder in this one to get what is their first ever home win in the competition.
Jasmine Thomas and Tina Krajisnik shared 30 points to take Bodrum to a convincing 148-102 aggregate success. Kamilla Sudhoff at least finished on a high for Osnabruck with a nice double-double of 16 points and 10 boards.
UFAB 49 83-77 TFSE-MTK
It was a similar story for UFAB 49 who were also on fire on their travels last week and they also found it tougher in the return matchup but still coasted through 173-134 on aggregate. A big third quarter offensively was the difference as they came back to drop 29 points on TFSE-MTK in the period.
Emmanuelle Tahane did great work and stood out with a smart 16 points and 6 rebounds, while Ashten Prechtel finished on the losing team but went off for 25 points.
BDS Dinamo Sassari 95-50 PAS Giannina
It was a powerful second display from Italian outfit Dinamo Sassari as they smashed their way past PAS Giannina to leap into the Regular Season.
Their Greek opponents couldn't cope with the quality and depth as Sparkle Taylor lived up to her moniker with a superb 26 points. Meanwhile, Umo Diallo also added 18 points. Konstantina Sarigiannidou signed off with 24 points for Giannina.
FIBA