MUNICH (EuroLeague Women) - There were celebrations on Wednesday evening for Umana Reyer Venezia, Zabiny Brno and Valencia Basket Club who all banked a ticket for the EuroLeague Women Second Round. Reyer were too much for Uni Gyor as the Italians finished strongly to seal the deal. That victory also confirmed the spot of Group D rivals Valencia who had won 24 hours earlier.
Zabiny Brno defied their status as one of the Qualifiers to the Regular Season by cruising past Olympiacos and landing in the Second Round. Elsewhere, Basket Landes claimed a terrific road win at DVTK HUNTHERM, as did Beretta Famila Schio at Perfumerias Avenida in the Game of the Week.
Key Storylines
Reyer and Zabiny Brno rack up victories on Wednesday night to make the Second Round;
Zaragoza, Fenerbahce and Mersin into Second Round with wins on Tuesday night;
Alina Iagupova's buzzer beater takes Valencia past Praha and ticket to Second Round confirmed 24 hours later.
Weekly Highs
Efficiency: Natasha Howard (CBK Mersin) - 45 Points: Natasha Howard (CBK Mersin) - 29 Rebounds: Natasha Howard (CBK Mersin) - 14 Assists: Julie Allemand (Fenerbahce Opet) - 7 Steals: Pauline Astier (Tango Bourges Basket) - 7 Blocks: Emma Cechova (Zabiny Brno) - 4
Second Round joy for Reyer, Brno and Valencia
Umana Reyer Venezia pulled out an 82-68 success against Uni Gyor to jump into the Second Round as Awak Kuier did the business in the paint and Matilde Villa pulled the strings in the backcourt. Finland national team standout Kuier finished with 17 points and 6 boards.
Her teammate Villa had an all action 10 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. There was also a smooth show from fellow guard Kamiah Smalls with 16 points and 4 assists.
The Reyer triumph was also celebrated in Valencia too, since it confirmed the Spanish club's progression in the competition in the wake of their dramatic buzzer beating win at ZVVZ USK Praha.
Underdogs Zabiny Brno came through the Qualifiers and are loving life in the Regular Season as they extended their stay. They were victorious 77-64 at Olympiacos and much of the success was due to a smart display from Czech rising star Emma Cechova. The center harvested with 17 points, 9 rebounds and a fabulous 4 blocks.
The Game of the Week lived up to its billing as a late surge by Beretta Famila Schio handed them the double over Perfumerias Avenida. Having already won the home encounter, they completed an eye-catching 79-69 victory in Salamanca. A massive 28 points in the last period swung the result in their favor, with Kitija Laksa dropping 24 points.
Basket Landes also boosted their prospects of making it as they came away from Miskolc with a terrific 66-56 win at DVTK HUNTHERM. It was founded on a nice team effort, with four players posting double-digit scoring returns. That included Louise Bussiere scoring her 11 points in just 12 minutes as the French side improved to 2-2.
Zaragoza erupt late; Howard is unstoppable; Iagupova sinks a stunner
There were celebrations for Casademont Zaragoza as they came from behind to beat KGHM BC Polkowice 72-63. An eye-popping 14-0 start to the fourth quarter turned the tide in their favour and sent them into the Second Round. They eventually outscored their opponents 26-9 in the last 10 minutes, with Mariona Ortiz showing great leadership with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
A majestic shooting display from Natasha Howard was the platform that CBK Mersin used to eventually outlast Tango Bourges Basket 80-76 in a pulsating and breathless encounter. In a phenomenal spell, the forward made her first 13 shots of the game and eventually ended up with a performance efficiency valuation of 45 after harvesting 29 points and completing a double-double with 14 boards.
Meanwhile, Marine Fauthoux hit the deal-breaker as her triple banked in during the closing stages. Yvonne Anderson added 20 points for the home side, with Pauline Astier unfortunate to suffer defeat after 16 points, 6 assists and a stellar 7 steals.
Fenerbahce Opet had a slow start against Villeneuve d'Ascq but eventually rode their way to a comfortable 90-75 success as Emma Meesseman continued her dominance in the competition. The Belgian baller racked up 23 points after going 11 of 14 from the field, with Gabby Williams also excellent again and dropping 20 points.
In the last game of the day, Valencia Basket Club completed a thrilling double over ZVVZ USK Praha which could be vital in their quest for silverware. They rode out 67-64 winners thanks to a brilliant buzzer-beating three-point score from Alina Iagupova which puts them on 3-1 in Group D.
Results
Wednesday, October 30 Olympiacos 64-77 Zabiny Brno DVTK HUNTHERM 56-66 Basket Landes Umana Reyer Venezia 82-68 Uni Gyor Perfumerias Avenida 69-79 Beretta Famila Schio
Tuesday, October 29 CBK Mersin 80-76 Tango Bourges Basket Fenerbahce Opet 90-75 Villeneuve d'Ascq LM KGHM BC Polkowice 63-72 Casademont Zaragoza ZVVZ USK Praha 64-67 Valencia Basket Club
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